Lesser Yin Cold Transformation

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? The concept of The six stages theory The concept of Cold

Key attributes

Chinese name: 少阴寒化 Pinyin name: Shǎo Yīn Hán Huà

Pattern nature: Empty

Causes

Precursor patterns: Greater Yin stage

Common causes: External pathogenic factor

Diagnosis

Common symptoms: Chills Diarrhea No thirst Cold limbs Listlessness and four other symptoms

Pulse type(s): Deep (Chen), Slow (Chi), Weak (Ruo)

Tongue description: Pale and wet tongue with white coating

Treatment

Treatment principle: Tonify Kidney-Yang, expel Cold.

Common formulas: Si Ni Tang

Pathology

This is one of the two patterns of the Lesser Yin stage, the second Yin stage of the Six Stages theory.

The Lesser Yin stage is where the disharmony mainly affects the Kidney Channel.

The Kidneys are considered the root of Yin and Yang in the body. As such, this stage has two patterns, called "Cold transformation" and "Heat transformation" that describe respectively a Kidney Yang Deficiency (with Empty-Cold symptoms) and a Kidney Yin Deficiency (with Empty-Heat symptoms).

This being the "Cold transformation" patterns, the pathology of this pattern is essentially Kidney Yang Deficiency with Empty-Cold symptoms like a feeling of cold, frequent pale urination or diarrhea.

Causes

Precursor patterns: Lesser Yin Cold Transformation can derive from Greater Yin stage

External pathogenic factor: The main cause of this pattern is when an external pathogen, typically Wind-Cold, has invaded the body and had progressed in the Interior.

Diagnosing Lesser Yin Cold Transformation

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): Deep (Chen), slow (Chi) or weak (Ruo)

Tongue description: Pale and wet tongue with white coating

Main symptoms: Chills Diarrhea No thirst Cold limbs Listlessness Feeling of cold Desire to sleep Lying with body curled Frequent pale urination