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Diphtheria
白喉 〔白喉〕bái hóu
A disease characterized by whitening of the throat. It occurs mostly in the autumn or winter after a long period of dryness and is attributed to seasonal epidemic scourge toxin exploiting vacuity of the lung and stomach.
- It starts with a sore throat that makes swallowing painful, and with the appearance of white speckles on one or both throat nodes (i.e., the tonsils), which spread quickly to create a white membrane that covers the uvula and stretches into the regions inside and outside the throat pass (isthmus faucium).
- The membrane does not easily slough off, cannot be forcefully removed without causing bleeding, and if removed always grows back.
- Other signs include headache, generalized pain, slight heat effusion or alternating heat and cold, lack of spirit, oppression in the chest, vexation and agitation, bad breath, and nasal congestion.
- If the white membrane spreads into the region inside the throat pass and down to the epiglottis and beyond, signs such as labored breathing, flaring nostrils, green-blue lips, heart palpitation or fearful throbbing, and a bound or intermittent pulse may be observed.
Distinction is made between yáng heat and yīn vacuity patterns. Yáng heat patterns are attributed to wind-heat or heat toxin and are characterized by a red sore swollen throat, heat effusion, constipation, and reddish urine; yīn vacuity patterns are attributed to dryness-heat damaging the lung and stomachand are characterized by white putrid throat, low fever, heat in the hearts of the palms and soles, fatigue, shortness of breath, and a fine rapid pulse.
Medicinal therapy: Yáng heat patterns are treated by draining heat and resolving toxin using
Acumoxatherapy: For yáng heat, base treatment mainly on LU, LI, TB, and ST. Select as the main points
Point selection according to signs: For headache, add Greater yáng (tài yáng) (
Etymology
Chin 白 bái, white; 喉 hóu, throat, larynx. Eng diphtheria, from Gk. diphthera, a piece of leather, from the toughness of the false membrane that characterizes the disease.
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