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The theory of five elements and
pathological transmission
The
theory of five elements is traditional Chinese
philosophy; it refers to the movement and
transformation of five elements(wood, fire, earth,
metal and water.) the interactions among the five
elements are normal or abnormal. The former is
inter-promotion and inter-restraint. The latter one
is over restraint and reverse restraint which are
actually the abnormal manifestation of
inter-restraint. This article will take renal
disease as an example to explain interactions among
the five Zang-organs via the theory of five
elements.
 The
human body is an organic whole. Disorder of one
organ can be transmitted to another. The
pathological transmission among the five Zang-organs
is: over restraint and reverse restraint; or
disorder of the mother-organ involving the
child-organ, and disorder of the child-organ
involving the mother-organ. For example, if renal
disease happened, it will transmit to heart, liver,
spleen and lung.
1. \1.
Renal
disease transmit to liver (water transmit to wood),
disorder of the mother-organ involving the
child-organ.
The
asthenia of renal essence or renal yin can induce
insufficiency of hepatic blood or yin, which is
called syndrome of kidney and liver yin asthenia in
TCM.
Manifestation: dizziness, tinnitus and amnesia,
hypochondriac pain, convulsion; aching and weakness
of the loins and knees, insomnia and dreaminess,
seminal emission, scanty menstruation or amenorrhea;
dry mouth, feverish sensation over the five centers
(palms, soles and chest.), nightly sweating, flushed
cheeks, scanty fur, thin pulse. These symptoms can
be seen in chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis of liver,
liver cancer, chronic nephritis, diabetic nephritis,
renal tuberculosis, etc.
2. Renal
disease transmit to lung (water transmit to metal),
disorder of the child-organ involving the
mother-organ.
The
asthenia of renal yin can involve insufficiency of
pulmonary yin, which is called syndrome of kidney
and lung yin asthenia in TCM.
Manifestation: cough with little sputum, hemoptysis,
dry mouth, aphonia, emaciation, aching and weakness
of the loins and knees, insomnia and dreaminess,
seminal emission, scanty menstruation or amenorrhea;
feverish sensation over the five centers (palms,
soles and chest.), nightly sweating, flushed cheeks,
scanty fur, thin and fast pulse. These symptoms can
be seen in cancer of lung, pulmonary tuberculosis,
pulmonary emphysema, and chronic renal diseases.
3.
Renal disease
transmit to heart (water transmit to fire), over
restraint.
3.1 Retention
of fluid attacking on the heart due to asthenia of
kidney yang and failure of qi transmission, which is
called asthenia syndrome
in TCM.
Manifestation: palpitation, cold limbs, lassitude,
edema of limbs, dysuria, cyanosis of lips and nails,
dull or light-color tongue, whitish and slippery
tongue fur, sunken and thin pulse. These symptoms
can be seen in the failure of heart and kidney due
to chronic pulmogenic heart disease, myocarditis,
chronic nephritis,
3.2
Asthenia of heart and kidney yin and hyperactivity
of heart and kidney yang due to imbalance between
the heart and the kidney, which is called syndrome
of disharmony between the heart and kidney in TCM.
Manifestation: insomnia, palpitation, dizziness,
restlessness, aching and weakness of the loins and
knees, insomnia and dreaminess, seminal emission,
scanty menstruation or amenorrhea; feverish
sensation over the five centers (palms, soles and
chest.), nightly sweating, tidal fever, flushed
cheeks, reddish tongue with scanty fur, thin and
rapid pulse. These symptoms can be seen in
arrhythmia, cardiac neurosis, neurasthenia, etc.
4. Renal
disease transmit to spleen (water transmit to
earth), reverse restraint.
Kidney yang asthenia involves to insufficiency of
spleen yang, which is called syndrome of spleen and
kidney yang asthenia in TCM.
Manifestation: morning diarrhea with indigested or
cold stool, abdominal distension, dysuria, edema of
face and body, cold limbs, cold pain in the loins,
knees and lower abdomen, light-colored and bulgy
tongue with whitish slippery fur, deep, slow and
weak pulse. These symptoms can be seen in chronic
enteritis, irritable intestinal syndrome, chronic
nephritis and chronic failure of the kidney, etc.
According to the theory of five elements, the
doctors can take preventive measures in advance to
control the transmission of disease in clinical
practice.
Written
by Hu Xiaohua
Medboo TCM training center |
