Wind-Cold invading with Yang Deficiency
Wind-Cold invading with Yang Deficiency
Educational content • Consult qualified TCM practitioners for diagnosis and treatment
Diagnostic Signs
A pale and puffy tongue
Deep (Chen), Weak (Ruo)
Diagnostic Considerations
Key characteristic symptoms of this pattern are the exhaustion, slight fever and severe chills, and a deep pulse
Causes & Pathology
Common Causes
Excessive consumption of cold and raw foods, juices, sweets, alcohol, coffee, iced drinks as well as frozen foods such as ice cream and frozen yogurt.
Over-exercising can hurts Yang.
Overwork can deplete Yang and cause Deficiency.
Over exposure to cold weather (regards less Wind-Cold or Damp-Cold) can cause internal Full Cold. If it is not address for a long time, it can harm Yang Qi and lead to Yang Deficiency.
Congenital defects due to improper care after birth can also cause Yang Deficiency.
Long hour standing can deplete general Yang.
Excessive sexual activities can also cause this pattern, especially if one is exposed to cold immediately after intercourse.
Pathological Mechanism
This pattern is characterized by the invasion of external Wind-Cold in a person who already has an underlying Yang Deficiency. Yang in TCM is the body's warming and active principle. When Yang is Deficient, the body struggles to maintain warmth and adequate metabolic activity.
Patients with this pattern experience extreme cold sensations. The presence of fever, despite being mild, indicates an external invasion of Wind-Cold, as people with Yang Deficiency typically struggle to generate heat.
The severe chills are attributed to both the internal cold from Yang Deficiency and the external cold, which is not relieved by adding layers of clothing – a hallmark of externally contracted conditions.
In TCM, an exterior condition is usually indicated by a floating pulse. However, in this pattern, the pulse is deep, reflecting the internal deficiency. Additionally, symptoms like exhaustion and a desire to sleep underscore the depleted state of internal yang energy.
Treatment Approach
Treatment Principle
Expel Wind-Cold, tonify Yang
Recommended Herbal Formulas
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