When many friends look at Chinese medicine, they are very confused about the yin and yang that Chinese medicine talks about in general, and they don't understand how Chinese medicine treats diseases.
Some people even think that Chinese medicine is full of nonsense and empty talk about metaphysics, and it is not medicine at all.
This article is based on Zhang Zhongjing's "Treatise on Typhoid Fever" and takes you to interpret yin and yang in traditional Chinese medicine.
The source of yin and yang in Chinese medicine
Yin and Yang is a category of ancient Chinese philosophy, in which the naïve materialist and dialectical views provide a framework for the study of medical theories.
Under this simple dialectic, the theory of yin and yang and the five elements containing the view of nature and life was derived, which laid the foundation of the theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine.
Mr. Zhang Zhongjing is a great talent, who has closely integrated the theory of yin and yang with clinical practice. In his book "Treatise on Typhoid Fever", there are more than 40 articles on yin and yang.
However, because the meaning of yin and yang is broad and vague, it is difficult for many patients and even doctors to understand.
I have practiced medicine for 40 years, and I have studied "Treatise on Typhoid Fever" for 40 years, so I will try my best to tell you about yin and yang today.
One of the meanings of yin and yang: refers to the type of syndrome
What is a syndrome? Unlike a disease, a pattern is a classification and summary of various diseases of the same nature.
Everything in the world has its yin and yang attributes, and everything that is positive, excited, and too much can be summarized as "yang";
Anything that is negative, inhibited, and less than can be summarized as "yin";
In the "Treatise on Typhoid Fever", there are six syndromes, that is, the yin and yang in the "three yin diseases" and "three yang diseases";
The eight outlines include yin and yang, surface and interior, cold and heat, and void and reality;
The surface and the inside reflect the disease position, and the other six map the disease, and the disease must reflect the disease position, and the disease position must also change according to the nature of the disease.
There are three types of disease positions: "surface, inside, and half-surface".
Yin and Yang is the general outline of TCM in syndrome differentiation, which can summarize the condition. Diseases are also divided into two categories: yin and yang.
The three disease positions of "surface, inside, and half surface and half li" all have two categories, yin and yang, so there are 6 syndrome types of sun, less yang, yang ming, tai yin, syncope yin, and less yin, which is the way of yin and yang that is "divided into two".
For example, sun disease is a symptom of yang, and sooner or later it will have a fever, and it will definitely be cold, so the person with fever and chills is sun disease;
However, the deficiency of yin disease is a syndrome of superficial yin, partial deficiency and cold, mainly based on blood deficiency, and the body's resistance is insufficient, so those who only have cold but no fever are less yin disease.
Yin and Yang Meaning 2: Refers to pulse diagnosis
"Treatise on Typhoid Fever: The Method of Distinguishing the Pulse" mentions: "Where the pulse is large, floating, numerous, moving, and slippery, this name is yang, and the pulse is heavy, astringent, weak, stringy, and micro, and the name is yin." ”
Yang disease sees yin veins, that is, evil qi is flourishing, positive qi is declining, and the disease tends to deteriorate, often patients will have many malignant symptoms, and the treatment is also relatively difficult.
Therefore, the yin and yang of the pulse are very valuable for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of diseases.
Secondly, yin and yang can also refer to the pulse position, "yang" is the inch pulse, and "yin" is the ulnar pulse.
The pulse position is the inch, the guan and the ruler, the cun pulse is located in front of the guan, which is yang, and the ulnar pulse is located behind the guan, which is yin.
In addition, Yin and Yang can also refer to the method of pulse cutting, and TCM can distinguish Yin and Yang by controlling the severity of finger pressure during pulse incision, and exploring the depth of the pulse in detail.
Take lightly as floating and waiting for the yang, and press it as the sinking and waiting for the yin.
Yin and Yang Meaning 3: Refers to the lesion site
"Typhoid fever for six or seven days, there is no fever, and those who are irritable are also the reason why the yang goes to the yin. ”
Yin and Yang here refer to the lesion site, the yang refers to the surface, and the yin refers to the inside.
The yang is also on the surface, and the yin is also on the inside. "Yang goes to yin" is "to go to the surface and into the inside", which is talking about the change of the sick position.
Yin and Yang Meaning 4: Refers to physiological pathology
"Typhoid fever for six or seven days, unfavorable, then fever and benefit, the person who sweats more than stops, death, there is yin and no yang. ”
The yin and yang in it refer to pathological factors.
The ancients called righteousness "yang", and in the "Neijing", there is a saying that yang refers to essence and yin refers to evil qi.
Sun typhoid fever, before the sixth or seventh day, there is a struggle between good and evil; on the sixth or seventh day, there is a fever and many symptoms of serious injury to the "yang", a sign of prostration, which is the time for evil to flourish and decline.
At this time, if there is evil qi but no righteous qi, the prognosis of the patient will be very poor, and the disease has developed to a very serious point.
Zhong Jingyun: "Look at the evidence of its pulse, know what is wrong, and follow the evidence to cure it."
This requires not only a correct understanding of the meaning of yin and yang in TCM, but also a need for patients to understand and agree with the theories of TCM, believe in TCM, and patients and doctors complement each other in order to cure diseases.
Many friends go to TCM with the attitude of doubting, trying, and being a dead horse as a live horse doctor, which makes it difficult for TCM to treat;
After taking a few pairs of medicines, the effect is not good or there are any other symptoms, so I simply stop the medicine and will not come for a follow-up, which makes the Chinese medicine unable to adjust the prescription according to the syndrome, and the treatment effect is naturally poor.