Diseases 8, men and women

疾病8，男女〔疾病8，男婦女〕jí bìng 8, nán nǚ

Men

Problems specific to men are associated with insufficiency of kidney essence, insecurity of kidney qì, kidney yáng vacuity, and frenetic stirring of the ministerial fire.

Impotence (阳痿 yáng wěi): Also called yáng wilt. The inability to achieve or maintain an erection for the complete duration of sexual intercourse. It is mostly associated with kidney yáng vacuity (debilitation of the life gate fire). Impotence is traditionally called yáng wilt; it is now often referred to in biomedicine as erectile dysfunction.

Yáng rigidity (阳强 yáng qiáng): See frequent and persistent erections.

Seminal emission (遗精 yí jīng): Loss of semen during the night. When associated with dreaming, it mostly results from frenetic stirring of the ministerial fire (which means liver-kidney yīn vacuity with vacuity fire flaming upward). When unassociated with dreaming, it is usually attributable to insufficiency of kidney qì causing storage failure (insecurity of kidney qì).

Seminal efflux (滑精 huá jīng): Involuntary loss of semen night or day. It is attributed to insecurity of kidney qì.

Premature ejaculation (早泄 zǎo xiè): Ejaculation shortly after insertion. It is mostly attributable to frenetic movement of the ministerial fire (liver-kidney yīn vacuity with vacuity fire flaming upward) or to insufficiency of kidney qì causing storage failure (insecurity of kidney qì). It can also result from liver channel damp-heat, dual vacuity of the heart and spleen, or depressed liver qì.

Scant semen and infertility (精少不育 jīng shǎo bù yù): Scant ejaculate and resulting inability to produce offspring. It is mostly a sign of insufficiency of kidney essence.

Seminal cold (精冷 jīng lěng): Ejaculate that is cold, scant, and thin. It is mostly attributed to kidney yáng vacuity.

See also the following:

Retracted scrotum (囊缩 náng suō, 阴囊收缩 yīn náng shōu suō): Shrinking of the contents of the scrotum and partial withdrawal into the abdominal cavity. It occurs in cold stagnating in the liver vessel and in other cold patterns such as yáng desertion. It can also occur when yáng brightness (yáng míng) heat enters the reverting yīn (jué yīn) channel.

Foxlike mounting (狐疝 hú shàn): Swelling of the scrotum that is caused by the small intestine dropping into the scrotum when the patient stands and retracting when the patient lies flat. Unlike other conditions affecting the male genitals, the scrotum is neither hard nor translucent. Foxlike mounting is attributable to liver depression, cold-damp, damp-heat, qì vacuity, or prolonged standing or walking. It corresponds to inguinal hernia in biomedicine. In Chinese medicine, it is also called mounting qì (疝气 shàn qì), which is now the name used for any condition involving the protrusion an organ through its surrounding walls. In older texts, foxlike mounting it is sometimes referred to as slumping mounting (㿗疝 tuí shàn).

Scrotal wind (肾囊风 shèn náng fēng): A condition of dryness and itchiness of the scrotum relieved by bathing in hot water, and, in severe cases, with red pimples the size of millet seeds, that exude fluid when scratched and are sometimes associated with scorching heat pain. Scrotal wind is caused by liver channel damp-heat pouring downward and invasion of external wind evil. It is usually difficult to cure.

Women

The liver’s functions of storing blood and free coursing exerts a strong influence over the thoroughfare (chōng) and controlling (rèn) vessels, which control menstruation and gestation. Problems specific to women are commonly related to liver blood vacuity, depressed liver qì, kidney vacuity, and damp-heat or phlegm-damp evils. For more about menstrual problems, see menstrual irregularities and symptoms 12, men and women.

Counterflow menstruation (逆经 nì jīng): Also called inverted menstruation (倒经 dào jīng): The passing of blood through the mouth or nose during or around the time of the menses. Corresponds to vicarious menstruation in biomedicine. It is mostly attributable to repletion or severe vacuity heat.

Flooding and spotting (崩漏 bēng lòu): Flooding is heavy bleeding via the vagina; spotting is light bleeding via the vagina. These conditions are mostly caused by frenetic movement of hot blood or the spleen failing to control the blood.

Female infertility (女子不孕 nǚ zǐ bù yùn): Inability of women of childbearing age to become pregnant. It is mostly attributed to uterine cold uterine cold (胞寒 bāo hán) arising from kidney yáng vacuity, to kidney yīn vacuity, to insufficiency of kidney essence, to blood vacuity, to qì stagnation and blood stasis, or to phlegm-damp obstruction.

Pudendal itch (阴痒 yīn yǎng): Itching of the female external genitals or vagina; attributed either to damp-heat pouring downward or liver-kidney yīn vacuity.

Prolapse of the uterus (子宫下垂 zǐ gōng xià chuí): Also called yīn protrusion (阴挺 yīn tǐng) and eggplant disease (茄子病 qié zi bìng). Protrusion of the vagina through the vulva. It is usually attributable to spleen vacuity qì fall. It often results from taxation damage from childbirth.

Diseases of Pregnancy

Malign obstruction (恶阻 è zǔ): A condition marked by aversion to food, nausea, and vomiting during pregnancy, which is called morning sickness or emesis gravidarum in biomedicine. These symptoms are caused by counterflow ascent in the thoroughfare (chōng) and controlling (rèn) vessels affecting the harmonious downbearing of stomach qì. This condition is not considered untoward unless it severely affects food intake. However, the term malign obstruction implies a degree of severity that deserves attention.

Shifted bladder (转包 zhuàn bāo): Urinary stoppage or frequent small voidings of urine occurring in the seventh or eighth week of pregnancy and attributed to qi vacuity or kidney vacuity.

Fetal spotting (胎漏 tāi lòu): Light bleeding via the vagina during pregnancy. It is attributable to qì-blood vacuity, kidney vacuity, or blood heat. It may indicate stirring fetus.

Stirring fetus (胎动不安 tāi dòng bù ān): Movement of the fetus with pain and sagging sensation in the abdomen, bleeding via the vagina, which may threaten miscarriage. Stirring fetus results from insecurity of kidney qì, general qì and/or blood vacuity, blood heat, depressed liver qì, or external injury.

Miscarriage (流产 liú chǎn, 小产 xiǎo chǎn, 半產 bàn chǎn, 墮胎 duò tāi): Expulsion of a fetus before term after the third month of pregnancy. Miscarriage is attributed to damage to the thoroughfare (chōng) and controlling (rèn) vessels and inability to contain blood and nourish the fetus stemming from dual vacuity of qì and blood, kidney vacuity, blood heat, or external injury. Miscarriage occurring three times or more in a succession is called habitual miscarriage (滑胎 huá tāi), which is attributed to depletion of kidney qì or to dual vacuity of qì and blood.

Others

Postpartum Diseases

Breast

Mammary aggregation (乳癖 rǔ pì): A mass in the breast that moves when pushed. It is mostly attributable to depressed liver qì and phlegm.

Miscellaneous Women’s Diseases

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