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A warm disease pattern chiefly characterized by heat effusion with aversion to wind; headache, slight thirst, and cough. In severe cases, aversion to cold disappears, and heat signs become more prominent.

Description

• Lung-defense pattern: Heat effusion with slight aversion to wind and cold; headache; slight thirst; and cough. The tongue fur is thin and white. The pulse is floating and rapid.
• Lung heat: If the evil penetrates the interior, there is generalized heat effusion without aversion to cold, sweating, vexation and thirst, cough, and panting. The tongue is yellow. The pulse is rapid.
• Heat entering the pericardium: High fever, clouded spirit and delirious speech clouding confusion and absence of speech (昏愦不语 hūn kuì bù yǔ), sluggish speech, reversal cold of the limbs, and a red or crimson tongue.

Pathogenesis: Warm heat evil assailing the lung and defense, giving rise to an exterior pattern. If the evil penetrates the interior, it gives rise to an intense lung heat pattern. These two patterns affect the hand greater yīn (tài yīn) lung channel. If the heat evil in the lung channel fails to resolve, it affects the hand reverting yīn (jué yīn) pericardium channel.

Analysis of signs

• Lung-defense pattern: Heat effusion, slight aversion to wind and cold, headache, slight thirst, and cough. The tongue fur is thin and white. The pulse is floating and rapid. Heat effusion with slight aversion to cold, headache, and a floating pulse are exterior signs. The slight thirst and the rapid pulse reflect the warm evil. The cough indicates that lung diffusion is affected.
• Intense lung heat: Generalized heat effusion, sweating, vexation and thirst, yellow tongue fur, and rapid pulse indicate an exuberant heat evil. Because the heat effusion is not accompanied by the aversion to cold and the pulse is rapid but no longer floating, it is clear that the evil has penetrated the interior. The presence of panting indicates severe disturbance of the lung’s depurative downbearing action.
• Heat entering the pericardium: Clouded spirit, delirious speech with sluggish tongue or absence of speech indicates the evil is harassing the spirit. The intensity of the heat is reflected in the bright crimson tongue fur. Heat effusion manifests as scorching heat in the chest and abdomen. However, since the evil is depressed in the interior, it prevents yáng qì from reaching the extremities. Hence there is reversal cold of the limbs attributable to exuberant yáng repelling yīn.

Treatment

Medicinal therapy: For lung-defense patterns, resolve the exterior with cool acrid medicinal that lightly open the upper burner using Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Beverage (桑菊饮 sāng jú yǐn) or Lonicera and Forsythia Powder (银翘散 yín qiào sǎn). For lung heat patterns clear and diffuse lung heat, using Ephedra, Apricot Kernel, Licorice, and Gypsum Decoction (麻杏甘石汤 má xìng gān shí tāng). For heat falling inward to the pericardium, clear the heart and open the orifices, discharge heat and resolve toxin using Palace-Clearing Decoction (清宫汤 qīng gōng tāng) taken with Peaceful Palace Bovine Bezoar Pill (安宫牛黄丸 ān gōng niú huáng wán), Purple Snow Elixir (紫雪丹 zǐ xuě dān), or Supreme Jewel Elixir (至宝丹 zhì bǎo dān).

Acumoxatherapy: BL-2 (zǎn zhú), TB-5 (wài guān), and LI-4 (hé gǔ).

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