Exterior vacuity

Exterior patterns with persistent sweating and heat effusion. Exterior vacuity results from provisioning-defense disharmony in which the body’s resistance to external evils is lowered and, despite sweating, fails to expel the evil. Such conditions are reflected in a moderate (i.e., not tight) floating pulse.

Medicinal therapy: Exterior patterns with sweating should be treated with formulas that have a sweat-effusing effect. A persistent exterior pattern with sweating characterized by pronounced exterior vacuity signs such as a moderate floating pulse and a thin moist tongue fur should be treated with Cinnamon Twig Decoction (桂枝汤 guì zhī tāng). This formula harmonizes provisioning and defense.

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on LU, LI, and BL. Select BL-13 (Lung Transport, 肺俞 fèi shù), GB-20 (Wind Pool, 风池 fēng chí), LU-7 (Broken Sequence, 列缺 liè quē), BL-64 (Capital Bone, 京骨 jīng gǔ), ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ), LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ), and SI-3 (Back Ravine, 后溪 hòu xī); needle with even supplementation and drainage. The last two points are used to check sweating and secure the exterior.