Exterior Cold invading the Interior
The information provided here is not a replacement for a doctor. You shouldn't use it for the purpose of self-diagnosing or self-medicating but rather so you can have a more informed discussion with a professional TCM practitioner.
At a glance
Preliminary reading: What is a pattern?
Diagnosis
Common symptoms: Chills Dizziness Constipation Unsteadiness Abdominal pain and six other symptoms
Pulse type(s): Tight (Jin), Wiry (Xian)
Tongue coating: Thick white coating
Treatment
Common formulas: Da Huang Fu Zi Tang Zhen Wu Tang
Pathology
Exterior Cold invading the Interior is a pattern of disharmony in Chinese Medicine.
Chinese Medicine views the human body as a complex system that tends toward harmony. A pattern of disharmony is a disorder that prevents that harmony from occurring.
Patterns give rise to symptoms that may at first glance seem unrelated from a Western standpoint but that actually make a lot of sense when one understands Chinese Medicine theory. For instance here Exterior Cold invading the Interior gives rise to such diverse symptoms as abdominal pain, constipation, hypochondriac pain and chills (as well as seven others).
To diagnose a pattern, analyzing a patient's pulse as well as their tongue is common practice. In the case of Exterior Cold invading the Interior patients tend to exhibit tight (Jin) or wiry (Xian) pulses as well as a tongue with thick white coating.
Patterns aren't exactly the Chinese Medicine equivalent to Western diseases, they're rather the underlying causes behind diseases or health conditions. Here Exterior Cold invading the Interior is thought to sometimes induce conditions such as hypertension, pelvic inflammatory disease or trigeminal neuralgia (as well as twenty nine others).
Diagnosing Exterior Cold invading the Interior
Diagnosing a pattern in Chinese Medicine is no easy feat and should be left to professional practitioners. In particular one has to know how to differentiate between different types of pulses and tongue coatings, shapes and colors as well as learn to read from a long list of seemingly unrelated symptoms.
Pulse type(s): Tight (Jin) or wiry (Xian)
Tongue coating: Thick white coating
Main symptoms: Chills Dizziness Constipation Unsteadiness Abdominal pain Low-grade fever Hypochondriac pain Cold hands and feet Generalized twitching Palpitations in the epigastrium Sweating that doesn't reduce fever
Treating Exterior Cold invading the Interior
Herbal formulas used to treat Exterior Cold invading the Interior
Zhen Wu Tang
Source date: 220 AD
Number of ingredients: 5 herbs
Key actions: Warms and tonifies the Yang and Qi of the Spleen and Kidneys. Eliminates Dampness.
Formula summary
Zhen Wu Tang is a 5-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 220 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that warm and transform water and Dampness.
Besides Exterior Cold invading the Interior, Zhen Wu Tang is also used to treat Spleen Yang Deficiency or Oedema.
Da Huang Fu Zi Tang
Source date: 220 AD
Number of ingredients: 3 herbs
Key actions: Warms the Interior. Disperses Cold. Unblocks the bowels. Alleviates pain.
Formula summary
Da Huang Fu Zi Tang is a 3-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula. Invented in 220 AD, it belongs to the category of formulas that warm and purge.
Related conditions
Please keep in mind that a Western Medicine condition can be caused by several Chinese Medicine patterns of disharmony and vice versa. As such a patient suffering from one of the conditions below will not necessarily be suffering from Exterior Cold invading the Interior, it is just one pattern that's commonly associated with the condition. Click on a condition to learn what other patterns it's associated with.
Hypertension Pelvic inflammatory disease Trigeminal neuralgia Conjunctivitis Gingivitis Urticaria Eczema Appendicitis Meniere's disease Congestive heart failure Rheumatoid arthritis Lumbar disc disease Periarthritis of the shoulder Sciatica Gallstones Kidney stones Inguinal hernia Orchitis Phlebitis Sties Keratities Tonsillitis Chronic renal failure Chronic glomerulonephritis Hyperaldosteronism Hypothyroidism Ascites from cirrhosis Orthostatic hypotension Basilar insufficiency Osteoarthritis Piriformis syndrome Postconcussion headache