All diseases are caused by phlegm
Xiao Wang asked: "Teacher Xie, why does everyone say that 'all diseases are caused by phlegm', and phlegm will become such an important pathogenic factor?" ”
Teacher Xie smiled and began to explain: "Traditional Chinese medicine often talks about 'phlegm', and everyone may have heard of it, but not everyone knows what 'phlegm' is. Phlegm is a kind of pathological product formed by the condensation and condensation of water in the body. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, there are two types of phlegm: tangible phlegm and invisible phlegm. ”
In the Han Dynasty, there was no word for "phlegm", but for the word "light". The "Text Collection" says: "Light is pleural fluid", which shows that phlegm is related to water in the human body. The discussion of water, dampness, and drinking syndrome in the Neijing is quite detailed, which lays the theoretical foundation for the treatment of phlegm syndrome. Since then, the theory of phlegm pattern has been continuously developed on this basis, and a unique theory of phlegm pattern in traditional Chinese medicine has been formed.
He went on to elaborate: "The phlegm that stays in the lungs and stomach and vomits out, and can be seen, or the phlegm that can be felt by condensing in the subcutaneous muscles, breasts, thyroid, etc., is usually called 'tangible phlegm' in Chinese medicine. In addition, those that cannot be seen or touched, but can be characterized as pathogenic by pathogenesis analysis, are called 'invisible phlegm'. To put it simply, "the visible 'phlegm' is easy to be detected by people because of coughing or vomiting, and the invisible 'phlegm' is not easy to be detected by people, and can only be detected from the symptoms, and its lesions and clinical symptoms are from the inside out." ”
The classification of visible and invisible phlegm is also controversial
Mr. Xie added, "Some scholars in the field of Chinese medicine believe that evil qi is an unclean thing, and once it enters the water, it becomes turbid. No matter what kind of evil qi enters the water, it will eventually form phlegm, and the phlegm generated is a filthy thing. It can be said that the essence of phlegm is a kind of 'turbid water', which is similar to 'drinking' in traditional Chinese medicine, but the two are different in texture. Water is tangible, and phlegm is likewise tangible. Visible sputum can be observed by excretion and visible to the naked eye; And those phlegm that cannot be directly excreted from the body and stagnates somewhere in the body, although we can't see it, is still tangible, but it is just hidden inside. Therefore, some TCM practitioners feel that the classification of visible and invisible phlegm is inappropriate, and it is more appropriate to say that visible phlegm and invisible phlegm should be used. ”
Xiao Wang listened intently, while picking up his notebook and began to record. He knows that this knowledge is very important for understanding the pathological mechanisms of TCM.
"Tangible 'phlegm' disease has obvious symptoms, and based on these symptoms, it is effective to diagnose early disease. The diseases caused by the invisible 'phlegm' can occur both inside and outside the human body, and the manifestations are indefinite. Teacher Xie added.
Teacher Xie smiled and continued to explain. "'Phlegm' originates from the disorder of internal organ function and is a pathological product caused by the poor flow of qi and blood. stagnation in the chest and diaphragm, inducing cough accompanied by excessive "phlegm", chest tightness and wheezing; accumulates in the abdomen, presenting a plump and fluffy abdomen; to the joints, resulting in symptoms such as heaviness, stiffness, and swelling of the limbs. 'Phlegm' is like a chaotic destroyer, wandering freely, bringing all kinds of troubles to the body. Mr. Xie's description seems to present the manifestations of 'phlegm' in the body in front of Xiao Wang one by one.
"It turns out that 'phlegm' still has so many pathogenic manifestations." Xiao Wang sighed, his face full of curiosity and yearning.
Strange diseases are cured from phlegm
"Yes, the pathogenic field of 'phlegm' covers a very wide range, to put it bluntly, the so-called 'phlegm' causes all kinds of diseases. Another point of view is that 'strange diseases are treated from phlegm', which means that many strange diseases, or diseases that cannot be solved by Western medicine, can be treated from the perspective of regulating 'phlegm', and can often achieve unexpected curative effects. Teacher Xie said earnestly.
Mr. Xie added, "'phlegm' is the source of all diseases, and the symptoms caused by it can cover many aspects, including paresthesia and mental abnormalities, such as dementia and madness. Abnormal physical signs, such as obesity, lumps, cancers, etc.; Damage to visceral tissue structures, such as lung abscess, stroke, etc.; and functional waste, such as body atrophy. In fact, all kinds of evils and diseases can lead to the formation of 'phlegm'. Water is the most basic carrying substance and main component of the human body, and all kinds of evil qi entering the body will go through the process of "evil entering the water", and eventually form 'phlegm'. Therefore, phlegm is only a concomitant pathological product in the process of various evil qi causing diseases, and it is an inevitable product. Once formed, "phlegm" becomes a driving factor for aggravating the disease, and may also be an independent factor that induces other diseases. However, its essence is still a sign, the evil qi and internal environment that promote the formation of "phlegm". Therefore, the treatment of diseases requires not only the treatment of phlegm, but also the treatment of the evil qi and internal environment that promote the formation of "phlegm". ”
Sputum color and syndrome differentiation
"Mr. Xie, the appearance of phlegm is mainly phlegm quality and phlegm color, and the general view is that yellow pus phlegm is hot and solid, and white phlegm is cold and empty. But I found that in practice, not all phlegm conforms to this rule. For example, some patients with lung damage may have chills but cough up yellow purulent sputum all year round. This phenomenon puzzled me and did not know how to properly understand the pathological characteristics of phlegm. "
Teacher Xie smiled slightly and nodded, he looked at Xiao Wang deeply, and his words revealed rigor and cordiality.
"Xiao Wang, the characteristics of phlegm do have many complexities, not only related to the quality and color of phlegm, but also affected by the environment and the cold and heat in the body. Some TCM experts believe that if the phlegm coughed up throughout the day is yellow, it is hot phlegm; If you cough up yellow phlegm in the morning and white phlegm the rest of the time, it's cold phlegm. Some TCM experts advocate that white phlegm may be both cold and hot. In fact, the essence of phlegm, water itself does not have the attribute of cold and heat, and the cold and heat of water are the result of the external environment. As a pathological product of abnormal water metabolism, phlegm is homologous to water, and there is no difference between cold and heat, but its formation is affected by the environment and cold and heat factors in the body. ”
Xiao Wang carefully recorded every sentence of Mr. Xie and tried to understand the deep meaning. He asked, "So, what is the relationship between phlegm and cold and heat?" "
Teacher Xie smiled slightly and continued to answer: "From another point of view, the formation of phlegm color is not the attribute of phlegm itself, but related to the addition of 'evil into water' in the process of phlegm generation. The phlegm color does not distinguish between cold and heat, but it is often used to distinguish between cold and heat. This is actually a far-fetched understanding. Water itself is free of cold and heat, and only changes in the environment and cold and heat in the body will affect the texture of phlegm. If we can reduce the over-reliance on sputum color and pay more attention to other evidence differentiation, perhaps the results will be more direct and objective. ”