Phlegm and retained fluid:introduction of pathological reasons,syndrome differentiation and common syndromes.
✵Traditional Chinese medicine has been used for thousands of years. Through thousands of years of practice, it has been proved that Chinese medicine is effective and feasible in treating diseases, preventing diseases and maintaining health. The treatment of diseases with traditional Chinese medicine has saved countless lives. The treatment of diseases in traditional Chinese medicine is macro and comprehensive.
The theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine is derived from and guided by long-term clinical practice. Through the analysis of the phenomenon, the internal mechanism is explored. Therefore, this unique theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine has two basic characteristics, one is the overall-concept, the other is the dialectical treatment.
Phlegm and Retained Fluid.
✵Phlegm and retained fluid: Phlegm retention refers to the body fluid could not be transformed, stay or permeability inside a part of the body, which is generalized phlegm retention, among them there are differences between phlegm and drink: first, they are the pathological results formed by the metabolic disorders of the so-called "condensed water form fluid-retention, fluid-retention coagulate into phlegm", they may become the new pathogenic factors. Generally speaking, the thick and turbid is called phlegm, and the clear and dilute is called fluid-retention. Phlegm is not only referring to sputum from cough spit and the visible sputum but also includes scrofula, sputum core and other phlegm liquid stagnation in the viscera and other tissues, manifestations can be determined by the syndromes, this sputum is called "invisible sputum". fluid-retention, namely water fluid stays in the human body, because its location and symptom are different and have different names.
Phlegm syndrome and various kinds of phlegm syndromes, fluid-retention syndrome and eight kinds of fluid-retention syndromes are introduced.
Phlegm Syndromes.
✦Phlegm belongs to dampness, which is transformed by body fluid. There is much phlegm in various diseases, and many syndromes have fever and phlegm. So phlegm and heat are accompanying symptoms of miscellaneous diseases. However, there are also miscellaneous diseases that are mild, phlegm is serious, then specializing in phlegm as the main syndrome.
Internal causes: one is affected by exogenous pathogens of wind, summer heat, dryness and humidity, and internal disturbances of fear, anger, worrying and anxiety; improper diet and overtiredness, immoderation of wine and sex; the Ying and Wei are not clear, Qi and blood turn turbid and fail, fumigation of body fluids, phlegm is generated.
Symptoms: the phlegm flows upward or downward with Qi, and arrives everywhere. Its commonly observed symptoms are: wheezing, coughing, vomiting and diarrhea, dizziness, noisy in the heart, palpitations, palpitation due to fright, cold and fever, swelling and pain, stuffiness in chest and abdomen, diaphragm stagnation, sounding in chest and hypochondria;or sensation like worms crawling in body; or subcutaneous nodes form in the body, not red and not swelling;or mass forms on neck, similar to scrofula but is not scrofula; or stagnant in throat, similar to plum kernel; or out from vomiting, similar to peach gum; or binding in chest; or there is often a little coldness in the core part of back; or hypochondriac lump is in shape at end of flank; or pricking pain in joints; or aching and pain of waist and legs; or vomit cold saliva, green water and black liquid; or have dreams of smoke fire, swords and halbert; or pass purulence in urination and defecation; or pharyngitis; or pain in teeth and tinnitus; and develops to consumptive diseases and epilepsy, aphonia (loss of voice), amenorrhea and leukorrhea of woman, infantile convulsion. They are all symptoms of accompanying syndromes of phlegm.
Various accompanying symptoms of phlegm syndrome:
Phlegm syndrome accompanying symptom of fire: there is generation of phlegm due to pathogenic heat, or heat generation of heat due to phlegm.
Phlegm syndrome accompanying symptom of Qi: the phlegm stays in the interior, it forms saliva, or fluid-retention, a hypochondriac lump, distention and pains, all belong to Qi stagnation.
Phlegm syndrome accompanying symptom of spleen and lung: observed cough with thick phlegm, dry throat, dryness of nose as lung syndrome, also observed noisy heart and fullness, poor appetite with much diarrhea due to spleen deficiency.
Classification of phlegm syndromes.
Various kinds of phlegm syndromes are introduced:
✦In general, phlegm syndromes are categorized by dryness and dampness, damp phlegm and dry phlegm are introduced:
(1).Damp phlegm is slippery and easily dispelled, mostly generates from the spleen. It can be a syndrome of excess, or a syndrome of deficiency, accompanying by cold, or accompanying by heat.
(2).Dry phlegm is difficult to dispel and mostly generates from the lungs.
✦Phlegm syndromes are classified according to five Zang-viscera: five kinds of phlegm syndromes are introduced.
(1).Dry phlegm: in the lungs it is known as dry phlegm, its color is white, coughed up like rice grains, mostly has shortness of breath and dyspnea, cold and fever, sadness and worrying.
(2).Heat phlegm: in the heart it is known as heat phlegm, its color is red, it is binding and looks like glue and is firm, mostly has dysphoria with smothery sensation (restless heat), cardiodynia (heartache), dry mouth, dry lips, and likes to laugh.
(3).Damp-phlegm: in the spleen it is known as damp-phlegm, its color is yellow, slippery and easy to flow out, one is mostly lassitude, weak, like to lie down, abdominal distension, food stagnation, or accompanying by deficiency, food, summer heat, or frightening.
(4).Wind phlegm: in the liver it is known as wind phlegm, its color is green, one spits out it and looks like foam, more bubbles, limbs are stuffy, irritable and angry, difficult in urination or defecation (anuria and constipation).
(5).Cold-phlegm: in the kidney it is known as cold-phlegm, its color has black spots, one spits out dilute phlegm, mostly has urgent urination and pain in urination, reverse cold in feet, fearsome in the heart.
✦Exogenous phlegm syndromes: exogenous phlegm syndromes are phlegm syndromes generated from exogenous affections, nine kinds of exogenous phlegm syndromes are introduced.
(1).Wind phlegm: paralysis of strange syndromes, wind syndrome of the head with dizziness, latent vertigo with stuffy chaos, or convulsions.
(2).Cold phlegm: that is, cold phlegm, blocking involving the bone, limbs cannot lift, stabbing pain of Qi, no dysphoria with smothery sensation (no restless heat), condensation and coldness.
(3).Damp phlegm, heaviness and softness of the body, lassitude and weakness.
(4).Heat phlegm, that is, fire phlegm, more hot and dry knot, head and face baking hot, or for the eyes rot, throat closed, epileptic cacophony, brooding anxious, its color is yellow.
(5).Stagnated phlegm: that is, fire phlegm stagnant in the heart and lungs, in long days it forms stagnation in the chest and diaphragm, thick and sticky, difficult to cough out, mostly one's hairs are parched, dry pharynx (dry throat), dry mouth, coughing and wheezing, dyspnea, its color is white as withered bones.
(6).Qi phlegm, stagnation of seven emotions, phlegm stagnates in the throat, its shape is similar to a worn-out cotton wadding for a quilt, or like a plum kernel, can not be coughed out or swallowed, stuffiness and congestion in the chest and diaphragm.
(7).Food phlegm, diet and drink cannot be digested, or with blood stasis, and develop a sunken sack, so that it develops to stuffiness in the chest and abdomen, and obstruction.
(8).Wine phlegm, those who drink wine, the wine Qi rises and generates fire, lungs, stomach and epigastric are affected by pathogenic fire, so stagnation and stasis are formed, because of drinking wine cannot be transformed; or drink more tea after drinking wine, but after drinking wine and vomiting the next day, diet is not tasty, vomiting acidic water, etc.
(9).Frightened phlegm, phlegm binding and forming a block in the chest and abdomen because of frightening, beating when it attacks, unbearable pain, or epilepsy, this syndrome is often observed in women.
✦Other phlegm syndromes:
Phlegm syndromes of ministerial fire with coughing blood.
Stagnation of stomach heat forms fetid sputum.
Stagnation of Qi forms coagulated phlegm, not transformation of the spleen Qi forms soft phlegm, nucleus phlegm forms in hollow space in joints.
Damp phlegm with white foam due to uprising of wind Qi pathogens.
Coagulation of stagnant fire forms phlegm toxin in long days.
Phlegm generates from strain and consumptive disease, its color is similar to egg white, is commonly known as white blood.
One's heart and gallbladder are frightened, the spirit does not hold, or phlegm blocks the heart's opening, talks tactlessly, or sees absurdly.
Wind phlegm leads to pains in the waist or feet, or in the hands and arms.
Phlegm stagnant in the upper diaphragm;
Obstinate phlegm (chronic phlegm) stagnant in chest and diaphragm, could not be eliminated in long days.
Phlegm stagnant in chest and stomach, cephalgia (headache) and no appetite (do not want to take food).
Phlegm and blood agglomerate, which develops to accumulation of pathogens in the chest;
Phlegm is generated due to hyperactivity of fire from Yin deficiency.
Qi stagnation in the middle part of the gastric cavity, phlegm and saliva lead to vexation, dizziness and blurred vision.
Fluid-retention syndromes.
✦The fluid-retention syndrome is also known as Yǐn Zhèng, it is a collective term for various diseases resulting from fluid retention in the body, generally including phlegm-fluid retention (tán yǐn), pleural fluid retention (xuán yǐn), subcutaneous fluid retention (yì yǐn), thoracic fluid retention (zhī yǐn), and recurrent fluid retention (fú yǐn), etc.
The ancient classical works Nei Jing (the Inner Canon) explains: The syndrome caused by Taiyin is known as jī yǐn (accumulated fluid-retention). Consequently, if one drinks a lot of wine, one's Qi counterflows, and if one is cold in body and drinks cold, lungs will be hurt.
Internal Causes: accumulated water does not dissipate and is retained in the interior as fluid-retention. There are retention due to resentment and depression, retention due to tiredness and sleepiness, retention due to thinking, retention due to drinking a lot of wine, and retention due to heat and hurt from a cold pathogen. All of them are because Qi is stagnant in the middle, water and drink enter the stomach but cannot be transformed, retained in the hollow space between Zang and Fu-viscera.
External Symptoms: in general, retained water generates dampness, retained wine generates heat, dampness develops to stuffiness in the chest and abdomen, and heat develops to dysphoria (irritation and restlessness). For its presentation, or due to body cold and drinking cold water, it is similar to exogenous syndrome; or due to tiredness, spleepiness, worrying and thinking, it is similar to internal injury; or it flows to four limbs (arms and hands, legs and feet), and it is similar to wind-stroke syndrome and blockage syndrome; or it flows to joints, it is similar to injury from falling down. Other fluid retentions in five Zang-viscera and six Fu-viscera, observed symptoms of them are different accordingly.
The difference between fluid-retention syndrome and phlegm syndrome:
The fluid-retention, is the name of water retention, it enters in the interior from outside; the phlegm is liquid in the stomach and intestine, it is generated from the interior.
At the beginning they are different, and later turn to a similar state, so if the accumulation of fluid retention cannot dissipate, it can also develop to phlegm. Thus, fluid retention is a gradation of phlegm, and phlegm is a transformation of fluid retention. If they come out, then the form of fluid retention is clear and dilute, and the form of phlegm is thick and turbid, which are also different.
Though they are almost the same thing, the thick and sticky one is phlegm, and the clear and dilute one is fluid-retention.
Classification of Fluid-retention syndromes.
✦In general, there are eight syndromes of fluid-retention, these fluid-retention syndromes are introduced.:
(1).Phlegm-fluid retention: the phlegm-fluid retention is also known as Tán Yǐn, water retains in the intestines and stomach, and water flows between the intestines and drains, sounding of flowing, making a person suddenly obese or suddenly thin.
(2).Pleural fluid retention syndrome:The pleural fluid retention syndrome is also known as Zuán Yǐn, water flows under the hypochondria, coughing and spitting with radiating pains.
(3).Subcutaneous fluid retention syndrome: the subcutaneous fluid retention syndrome is also known as Yì Yǐn, water flows in four limbs (arms and hands, legs and feet), cannot perspire, heaviness and pain in the body;
(4).Thoracic fluid retention syndrome: the thoracic fluid retention syndrome is also known as Zhī Yǐn, water retains above the diaphragm, cough, breathing on leaning, short of breath, cannot fall asleep, and looks like swelling.
(5).Stationary fluid retention syndrome: the stationary fluid retention syndrome is also known as Liú Yǐn, water retains under the heart, the cold area of the back is similar to palm size, or short of breath and severe palpitation, or short of breath and thirst, severe and migratory pain in four limbs (arms and hands, legs and feet), hypochondriac pain and radiating pain to supraclavicular fossa (quēpén), cough turns severe.
(6).Recurrent fluid retention syndrome: the recurrent fluid retention syndrome is also known as Fú Yǐn, water retains and stagnates in the diaphragm to fullness, vomiting, panting and coughing, fever and aversion to coldness, tearing, pain in the waist and back, painstaking of the body, and has tears.
(7).Hypochondrium fluid retention syndrome: the hypochondrium fluid retention is also known as Pǐ Yǐn, water retains in the bilateral hypochondria, shaking with sounding.
(8).The retention syndrome of fluid in the gastrointestinal tract is also known as Liú Yǐn, water retains flows in the body, and there is no fixed location of it.
References:
1.Phlegm and retained fluid:introduction of pathological reasons,syndrome differentiation and common syndromes.
✵Traditional Chinese medicine has been used for thousands of years. Through thousands of years of practice, it has been proved that Chinese medicine is effective and feasible in treating diseases, preventing diseases and maintaining health. The treatment of diseases with traditional Chinese medicine has saved countless lives. The treatment of diseases in traditional Chinese medicine is macro and comprehensive.
