Large intestine vacuity cold

Also intestinal vacuity efflux diarrhea (肠虚滑泻 cháng xū huá xiè), which refers to severe cases.

A disease pattern chiefly characterized by enduring diarrhea with fecal incontinence, in severe cases with prolapse of the rectum; marked signs of yáng vacuity, such as cold limbs.

Description: Diarrhea with fecal incontinence or even prolapse of the rectum; dull abdominal pain that likes warmth and pressure; fear of cold and cold limbs; lassitude of spirit and lack of strength; pale tongue with glossy white fur; a pulse that is sunken and weak.

Pathogenesis: Debilitation of the yáng qì of the large intestine with failure of the large intestine’s retentive function, resulting from:

• persistent diarrhea or dysentery or
• inappropriate treatment.

Analysis of signs

• Large intestine: Diarrhea with fecal incontinence, in severe cases with prolapse of the rectum.
• Yáng vacuity: Dull abdominal pain that likes warmth and pressure; fear of cold and cold limbs; lassitude of spirit and lack of strength; pale tongue with glossy white fur; a pulse that is sunken and weak.

Treatment

Medicinal therapy: True Man Viscus-Nourishing Decoction (真人养脏汤 Zhēn rén yǎng zàng tāng) or Major Peach Blossom Decoction (大桃花汤 dà táo huā tāng).

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on alarm, back transport, lower uniting points of LI, and on CV and ST. Select BL-25 (Large Intestine Transport, 大肠俞 dà cháng shù), ST-25 (Celestial Pivot, 天枢 tiān shū), ST-37 (Upper Great Hollow, 上巨虚 shàng jù xū), CV-12 (Center Stomach Duct, 中脘 zhōng wǎn), LR-13 (Camphorwood Gate, 章门 zhāng mén), ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ), and CV-6 (Sea of Qì, 气海 qì hǎi); needle with supplementation and moxa. For spleen-kidney yáng vacuity, add BL-20 (Spleen Transport, 脾俞 pí shù), BL-23 (Kidney Transport, 肾俞 shèn shù), CV-4 (Pass Head, 关元 guān yuán), and GV-4 (Life Gate, 命门 mìng mén). For prolapse of rectum, add BL-25 (Large Intestine Transport, 大肠俞 dà cháng shù), GV-1 (Long Strong, 长强 cháng qiáng), and BL-57 (Mountain Support, 承山 chéng shān).

Comparison: Spleen and stomach and the large and small intestine are all part of the digestive tract. Spleen-stomach yáng vacuity and large intestine vacuity cold are similar, but slightly different. The stomach is the sea of grain and water; when spleen-stomach yáng fail to take in food, decompose, move and transform it, the stool is sloppy and thin and contains undigested food; at the same time there is poor appetite, glomus and oppression in the stomach duct and abdomen after eating, signs that the disease is in the center burner. In large intestine vacuity cold, by contrast, the disease in the lower burner; diarrhea and rumbling intestines are pronounced, and there may be constipation instead of diarrhea. There is no reduction in appetite and no oppression in the stomach duct after eating.