Traditional Chinese Medicine: The Six Pernicious Influences

As an ancient system of healthcare, Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, came about during a time when nothing was known about bacteria and viruses. Therefore instead of placing importance on these organisms as the source of illness, it names certain environmental conditions as pathogens. These Six Pernicious Influences, in conjunction with certain emotional states, create disharmony in the Qi, or life force, and result in disease in the body.

Wind stirs the body into agitation, causing too much motion. It first begins to affect the organs that have access to the external world, such as the skin, air passages, and face. Symptoms include congested or runny nose, twitches and tics, and quickly spreading rashes. If Wind makes its way inside the body, it may cause convulsions, seizures and dizziness. Wind often goes hand in hand with Cold.

Cold inhibits the blood flow as well as the movement of Qi within the body. A person with Cold is often fatigued and has a tendency to oversleep, feels cumbersome in his or her own body, and looks pale and weak. They are prone to acute illnesses such as colds and coughs, chills, body aches and flu.

Heat is often arises from overexertion that is nonetheless followed by hyperactivity. It is like an adrenaline rush after a competitive athletic event. It often causes an elevated heart rate, redness in the face, dehydration and thirst. When heat penetrates further, it can attack the Shen, or the spirit, and cause delirium.

Summer Heat is different from Heat in that it causes the opposite effect; extreme lethargy instead of hyperactivity. Often this is due to even higher levels of heat, resulting in heavy sweat, high fever and dizziness. When it is accompanied by Dampness, the person may become nauseated and vomit.

Dampness is a heavy influence that settles in the body and may take a long time to treat. It creates buildup and stagnation. Symptoms include greasy face and hair, acne and pustules, body odor, bloating and diarrhea. If it invades the Shen, emotional imbalance may result, causing erratic behavior and insanity.

Dryness often accompanies Heat. It causes dehydration and may be due to an arid climate or smoking. A person experiencing Dryness will have dry skin, hair, eyes and lips. They may be asthmatic or have other respiratory problems such as dry hacking cough or phlegm.

The Chinese isolated these environmental conditions as causative to disease when they are accompanied with internal distress factors such as anger, fear and grief. Although Western medicine maintains that microscopic organisms are to blame for disease, it still fails to explain why the presence of a bacteria or virus in the body does not make every person sick. People may carry the virus for a certain disease in their bodies and still remain in great health. Obviously micropathology does not have all the answers, nor does it include the entire picture. Both Western medicine and TCM have a lot they can learn from each other.

Source:
Author/Artist - Thomas Dehli
Page Title - The Six Evils or Six Pernicious Influences
Site Title - www.sacredlotus.com

Author/Artist - Misha Ruth Cohen
Page Title - Introduction to Chinese Medicine
Site Title - www.docmisha.com