Diseases are the manifestations of struggle of healthy energy with evil
factors . Therefore , supporting healthy energy and eliminating evil factors are
important principles of relieving struggle of healthy energy with evil factors
and promoting diseases to transform into recovery . Clinically the principles of
supporting healthy energy to eliminate evil factors , eliminating evil factors
to support healthy energy , or both supporting healthy energy and eliminating
evil factors can be used according to states of decline , growth , excess and
insufficiency of healthy energy and evil factors.
Branch refers to phenomenon of diseases , and root refers to essence of
diseases . The concepts of branch and root have many-sided implications . For
the relation of healthy energy and evil factor , healthy energy is root , and
evil factor is branch ; for pathogenesis , cause is root , and body surface is
branch ; for order of pathogenesis , old disease is root , and new disease is
branch . In treatment , the phenomenon of disease must be distinguished from the
essence of disease , the methods of treating branch of disease for the acute
disease , and treating root of disease for the acute disease , and treating root
of disease or both root and branch of disease for the chronic disease can be
used.
Treating different diseases with same method is taking same method of
treatment to treat the diseases with different symptomatic manifestations but
with same pathogenesis.
Treating same disease with different methods is taking different method of
treatment to treat the diseases with same symptomatic manifestations but with
differentt causes.
This is a rule of treating diseases by the drugs with the nature contrary to
symptomatic manifestation of the diseases . This rule is applicable to the
diseases in which essence of pathological changes conforms with phenomenon of
the pathological changes . When cold manifestation is found in cold disease ,
head manifestation is found in heat disease , asthenic manifestation is found in
asthenic disease , and sthenic manifestation is found in sthenic disease , take
the methods of "treating cold-syndrome with warm-natured drugs " , " treating
heat-syndrome with cold-natured drugs " , " treating asthenia-syndrome with
invigorative drugs " and " treating sthenia-syndrome with purgative drugs "
separately.
This is a rule of treating diseases with the drugs with the same natures as
symptomatic manifestations of the diseases . This rule is applicable to the
diseases in which essence of pathological changes does not conform with
phenomenon of the pathological changes . Treatment contrary to the routine
includes four types as follows.
(A).Treating the pseudo-cold diseases with cold-natured drugs : treat the
diseases with cold manifestation but heat nature by the drugs with cold nature.
(B).Treating the pseudo-heat diseases with heat-natured drugs : treat the
diseases with heat manifestation but cold nature by the drugs with heat nature.
(C).Treating the obstruction-syndrome with invigorative drugs : treat some of
asthenia-syndrome with symptom of obstruction by the invigorative drugs.
(D).Treating leaking-syndrome with dredging drugs : treating some of
leaking-syndrome due to dominattion of evils by dredging drugs.
The content of methods of treatment
of Sinomedicine is very abundant . They can be summed up as eight methods of
treatment , that is , diaphoresis , emesis , purgation , mediation , warming ,
heat-clearing , invigoration and resolution.
[1].Diaphoresis
Diaphoresis is a method of treatment of opening striae to promote sweating
and expel the exogenous evils from the body surface.
(1).Indication
Diaphoresis can be used in superficies-syndrome caused by exogenous
pathogenic factor , as well as carbuncle , acute skin infection , measles and
early edema with manifestations of superficies-syndrome.
(2).Usage
Superficies-syndrome can be divided into superficial cold syndrome and
superficial heat syndrome , therefore , diaphoresis can be divided into method
of inducing sweat by the drugs of acrid flavour and warm nature and that of
inducing sweat by the drugs of acrid flavour and cool nature.
A.Method of inducing sweating by the drugs of acrid flavour and warm nature
This method is used in dispelling superficies-cold evil , eliminating edema and
expelling wind-wetness evil.
B.Method of inducing sweat by the drugs of acrid flavour and cool nature This
method is used in expelling superficies-heat and leting out measles.
(3).Contraindication
It is prohibited to use diaphoresis in interior-syndrome and febrile disease
due to summer-heat evil . For asthenia-syndrome , diaphoresis must be used with
caution .
[2].Emesis
Emesis is a method of treatment of using emetics to make stagnated sputum and
food , or poison eject through vomit.
(1).Indication
Emesis is applicable to accumulating and stagnating of sputum in the throat ,
stagnating of indigestible food in the stomach , still staying of miseaten
poison in the stomach , and others.
(2).Usage
Emesis is used in accumulation and stagnation of sputum in the throat ,
stagnation of indigestible food in the stomach , and miseating poison.
(3).Contraindication
For the feeble patient , emesis must be used with caution . It is prohibited
to use emesis in the patient with bleeding , parturient and gravida.
[3]Purgation
Purgation is a method of treatment of using the drugs which have the effects
of purging , eliminating retention of fluid with powerful purgatives , and
laxating with lubricant cathartics to relax the bowels , eliminate stercoroma ,
purge sthenic heat , and eliminate retention of fluid with powerful purgatives.
(1).Indication
Purgation is applicable to sthenia-syndrome in the interior , such as
coprostasis and constipation , retention of fluid inside body , blood stasis ,
distension ,accumulation of parasites , and others.
(2).Usage
Purgation can be used in relaxing the bowels with cold-natured drugs ,
relaxing the bowels with warm-natured drugs , laxating with lubricant cathartics
, eliminating retention of fluid with powerful purgatives , expelling stagnant
blood , and expelling parasites.
(3).Contraindication
It is generally prohibited to use purgation in gravida and menstrual phase .
Purgation can not be rashly abused in the patients without constipation due to
sthenia-syndrome.
[4].Mediation
Mediation is a method of treatment of using the drugs for dredging and
mediating to eliminate the evils in the half-superficies and half-interior or
mediate vital energy and blood of the zang-organs and fu-organs.
(1).Indication
Mediation is applicable to diseases in the half-superficies and half-interior
, such as incoordination between liver and spleen , incoordination between
intestine and stomach , depression and stagnation of liver-energy and
gallbladder-energy , and others.
(2).Usage
Mediation is used to mediate the superficies and interior , dredge and
disperse depression and stagnation of liver-energy and spleen-energy , regulate
the function between intestine and stomach , and relax liver and promote biliary
secretion and excretion.
(3).Contraindication
It is prohibited to use mediation in the patients with the condition that
evils are in the superficies , that is , the evils have not entered the
half-superficies and half-interior , or the evils have entered the interior.
[5].Warming
Warming is a method of treatment of using warm-natured and hot-natured drugs
to expel cold-evil and invigorate original yang.
(1).Indication
Warming is applicable to internal cold syndrome caused by deficiency of yang
energy and cold-evil's invading into body.
(2).Usage
Warming is used in recuperating the depleted yang and rescuing the patient
from danger , dispelling cold-evil by warming the middle warmer , and expelling
cold-evil by warming the meridians.
(3).Contraindication
It is prohibited to use warming in yin deficiency syndrome , blood deficiency
syndrome , and heat blood's going astray syndrome.
[6].Heat-clearing
Heat-clearing is a method of treatment of using cold-natured and cool-natured
drugs to clear away fire-syndrome and heat-syndrome.
(1).Indication
Heat-clearing is applicable to the patients of heat-syndrome , such as ardent
fever due to exogenous pathogenic factor , sthenic heat of the internal organs ,
heat blood's going astray and others , who do not have constipation due to
sthenia-syndrome.
(2).Usage
Heat-clearing is used in clearing away heat and purging fire , clearing away
heat and detoxifying , clearing away heat and promoting salivation , and
nourishing yin and clearing away heat.
(3).Contraindication
For the patients of fever due to the situation that superficial evils have
not been expelled and yang energy is obstructed , those with feeble constitution
and weak stomach , and those without heat-evil , heat-clearing must be useful
with caution.
[7].Invigoration
Invigoration is a method of treatment of invigorating and benefiting
insufficiency of yin , yang , qi ( vital energy ) and blood in human body , to
eliminate asthenia syndromes.
(1).Indication
Invigoration is applicable to the syndromes of asthenia of zang-organs ,
fu-organs , yin , yang , qi ( vital energy ) and blood.
(2).Usage
Invigoration can be used in invigorating vital energy , enriching blood ,
nourishing yin , and strengthening yang .
(3).Contraindication
Invigoration is prohibited to be used in the syndrome that exogenous evil
stays on superficies , and all sthenia syndromes . For the patients with
spleen-asthenia , the drugs for enriching blood and nourishing yin must be used
with caution . For the patients with overabundance of yang caused by deficiency
of yin , the drugs for invigorating vital energy and strengthening yang must be
used with caution.
[8].Resolution
Resolution is a method of treatment to resolve the tangible stercoroma ,
fixed and movable abdominal mass , phlegm-retention , prolonged retention of
food in the gastrointestinal tract , and others in the body.
(1).Indication
Resolution is applicable to the syndromes caused by accumulation of qi (
vital energy ) , blood , phlegm , stagnated fluid and food , and others , which
can not be treated by purgation.
(2).Usage
Resolution can be used in promoting digestion and relieving dyspepsia ,
softening hard lumps and dispelling nodes , dissipating phlegm , eliminating
wetness-evil from the upper warmer , promoting diuresis , and promoting blood
circulation to remove blood stasis.
(3).Contraindication
For the patients with asthenia-syndrome , resolution must be used with
caution , or it is prohibited to be used.