The pernicious factor known as cold is considered a pathogenic yin qi. Its nature is to slow down movement, causing contraction, tightness, stagnation, and weak circulation. Cold can invade the lungs, skin, and muscles when it is an external pernicious factor. Cold can also cause disorder in the regular functions of the kidneys, abdomen, and spleen when it is an internal pernicious factor.
Cold Syndromes
1. Cold Clotting the Liver Meridian: The genital area is one of the regions where the liver meridian passes through. This syndrome is an indication of cold in that meridian. Hernia pain and testicular pain are some of its symptoms. Herbs, acupuncture, and moxibustion can resolve this imbalance effectively within a short period of time.
2. Cold Invading the Abdomen and Spleen: Cold wreaks digestive symptoms such as watery diarrhea, clear vomit, and stomach pain in this externally induced syndrome. Despite being usually caused by an externally contracted abdominal bacteria or virus (commonly referred to as abdominal flu) or cold, this syndrome can also be brought about by eating ice cream and other types of cold food.
3. Blockage Due to Cold: This condition, which is traditionally called cold blockage (bi) pain, usually manifests as joint pain or body aches that is palliated by warmth. Arthritis is the usual Western diagnosis for this pattern of disharmony. The pain usually exacerbates in cold weather and the cold can actually feel cold to the touch since this syndrome is exclusively caused by cold. The aim of Chinese medicine is to warm the meridians wherein blood and vital energy (chi) flow and boost circulation by means of herbal remedies, acupuncture, and moxibustion in Orlando.
4. Wind Cold: Combined with wind pernicious factor, cold invades the body’s exterior as well as the lungs, causing a congested nose, stiff neck and shoulders, upper body aches, pain at the base of the skull (occipital headache), lack of perspiration, and chills. The effect of wind results in the symptoms suddenly reappearing and affecting the upper body resulting in muscle contraction that causes the pain and stiffness. This syndrome causes clear nasal secretions which is one sign of cold. The plan of treatment is to expel the wind and diffuse the cold with moxibustion, acupuncture, and warm diaphoretic herbs.
5. Deficient Kidney Yang: This syndrome can make the person especially susceptible to cold. This is because the kidneys are where yang metabolic fire for the whole body originates. Symptoms include pain in the lower back, fluid retention (edema), frequent urination, weak sex drive, cold limbs, and an inability to stay warm. Deficient kidney yang can be rectified with the intake of herbs and long-term application of moxibustion that tonify kidney yang, thereby reinforcing metabolic fire.
6. Deficient Spleen Yang: Cold can seriously weaken digestive function especially if there is an underlying spleen yang deficiency (heat and energy deficiency required in order to digest food). Symptoms of this syndrome include a slow pulse, edema, cold limbs, and watery stools with undigested food. When external pernicious cold is combined with this underlying deficiency, the imbalance can be quite difficult to cure.
The first aim of treatment is to eliminate the cold pernicious factor. Then, the kidney and spleen yang should be tonified to give rise to a long-term boost in the basic metabolism of the body, or its potential to retain the heat required for healthy digestion, which in traditional Chinese medicine is known as metabolic (life-gate) fire. Deficient spleen yang is treated with warming herbs and moxibustion that tonify spleen yang.
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