vol.28 [Bian Zheng Lun Zhi] "What is Etiological Differentiation?" ~There is no path for treatment without a cause~
In Oriental medicine, "diagnosis" is not
the organization of symptoms, but the "deciphering of the cause."
Why is that person experiencing those symptoms?
What kind of flow of Qi is disturbed, and what has disrupted the harmony between the internal and external?
Getting to the core of this is what "Etiological Differentiation" is.
This time, we will comprehensively explain everything from the classification of causes to how to perceive them in clinical practice and how to develop them into differentiation.
[1. What is Etiological Differentiation?]
Etiological differentiation is—
a diagnosis that sees through "what has disturbed the Qi."
External causes (climate/environment)
Internal causes (emotions/feelings)
Non-internal/non-external causes (lifestyle habits, trauma, diet, fatigue, sexual activity, etc.)
Even if you treat without grasping the cause, it is merely an off-target "symptom management."
[2. External Causes: Reading the Influence of the Six Excesses]
Six Excesses = Wind, Cold, Summer-Heat, Dampness, Dryness, Fire (Heat)
Wind pathogen: Fever, chills, sweating, headache, floating pulse
Cold pathogen: Cold pain, slow pulse, pale tongue, preference for warmth
Summer-Heat pathogen: High fever, heavy sweating, restlessness and thirst, surging pulse
Dampness pathogen: Heaviness and lethargy, edema, greasy tongue coating
Dryness pathogen: Dry cough, dry nose, dry skin, dry tongue
Fire pathogen: High fever, thirst, restlessness, constipation, red tongue
Abnormal climate and environmental changes cause a "breakdown of Qi."
[3. Internal Causes: The Seven Emotions (feelings) drive Qi crazy]
Seven Emotions = Joy, Anger, Worry, Pensiveness, Sadness, Fear, Fright
Anger: Liver Qi ascending counterflow → Headache, bloodshot eyes, irritability
Pensiveness: Spleen Qi stagnation and binding → Loss of appetite, fatigue, loose stools
Fear: Kidney Qi sinking → Frequent urination, weakness in the lower back and knees, anxiety
Emotions are waves of "Qi." Uncontrolled emotions damage the Zang-Fu organs.
[4. Neither Internal nor External Causes: Diseases caused by lifestyle imbalances]
Improper diet: Overeating, undereating, or unbalanced diet → Epigastric fullness, vomiting, constipation, or diarrhea
Excessive fatigue: Long working hours, overthinking → Qi deficiency, dual deficiency of Heart and Spleen
Excessive sexual activity: Kidney Essence deficiency, impotence, fatigue, infertility
Trauma: Blood stasis, meridian obstruction, pain
Parasites and toxins: Infectious diseases, skin diseases, etc.
"Daily mistakes" are the most easily overlooked causes of disease.
[5. Causes of disease appear in "combination"]
Example:
Wind-Cold + Fatigue → External Wind-Cold invasion + decline in Zheng Qi → Fever, fatigue, weak pulse
Seven Emotions + Diet → Emotional stagnation + Spleen failing to transport and transform → Loss of appetite + chest and hypochondriac fullness
Multiple causes intersect in "a single disease."
[6. How to identify the cause of disease: Utilizing the Four Examinations]
Inquiry: Ask about the background of timing, seasons, lifestyle, emotions, labor, and sexual life
Observation: Detect constitution and lifestyle tendencies from complexion, tongue, and body type
Auscultation: Judging internal heat and external cold through voice, breathing, and odor
Palpation: Grasping the state of Qi and the depth of the illness through pulse strength
☯️ The Acupuncture Sage says:
Examine the cause.
The root of illness lies in the disturbance of Qi.
Do not be misled by the symptoms that appear; focus on the origin of that 'fluctuation'.
🔚 Summary
Etiological diagnosis is—
a diagnostic method that depicts the 'story of the illness'.
From the three systems of external causes, internal causes, and neither external nor internal causes,
re-grasp 'why that person's Qi collapsed'.
――A word to apply starting today――
Symptoms are the result. The essence of diagnosis lies in the cause.
📘 Next Preview:
Next time, under the theme of 'The Eight Methods and Principles of Treatment,' I will explain the 'eight treatment tactics': sweating, vomiting, purging, harmonizing, clearing, warming, tonifying, and reducing.
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\List of Supported Keywords\
<Treatment & Menu>
Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Seitai (Bodywork), Bian Zheng Lun Zhi (Pattern Differentiation), Qi-Blood-Fluid Differentiation, Cosmetic Acupuncture, Meridian Therapy, Constitution Improvement, Preventive Care, Oriental Medicine Diagnosis, Counseling Treatment, Fluid Regulation, Tonifying Blood, Tonifying Qi, Invigorating Blood, Moistening Dryness, Clearing Heat and Resolving Phlegm, Soothing the Liver and Regulating Qi, Strengthening the Spleen and Replenishing Qi
<Symptoms & Concerns>
Fatigue, Malaise, Headache, Dizziness, Menstrual Irregularity, PMS, Anemia, Sensitivity to Cold, Insomnia, Palpitations, Forgetfulness, Dry Skin, Thirst, Edema, Constipation, Phlegm, Cough, Diarrhea, Hemorrhoids, Poor Complexion, Stress, Swelling, Yin Deficiency, Yang Deficiency, Qi Deficiency, Blood Deficiency, Blood Stasis, Phlegm-Dampness, Water Retention
<Care Targets & Demographics>
Maternity Care, Postpartum Care, Senior Care, Cosmetic Constitution Improvement, Oriental Medicine Beginners, Chronic Condition Sufferers, People Who Get Tired Easily, People Prone to Swelling, Dry Skin Types, Emotionally Unstable Individuals, Chronic Cough Sufferers, Qi Deficiency Symptom Group, Complex Pattern Understanding Group
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