Our body is the microcosm of the universe.
The external pathogens can make you sick. There are effective acupuncture points that deal with the condition. In east Asian medicine, our body is the microcosm. It resembles the universe, which has six energies. They are wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire. We experience the six energies in the body in our daily life. The six energies can become pathogenic.
We have seen abnormal climate change nowdays. This is why the six energies became more excessive and extreme, and they become external pathogens which can lead to illness.
In normal conditions, the six energies do not cause any problems. As the body has weak beneficial qi or energy, they cause illnesses. With the beneficial qi being strong, none of the six pathogens would invade and affect the body. We have a strong immune system, and no pathogens can invade us.
How external pathogens transfer to next levels?
Among the six pathogens, wind, cold and dampness become the major cause of external diseases.
In east Asian medicine, our body has several layers or stages in it. The layers can protect ourselves against exogenous pathogens. The most outer layer is the exterior surface of the body, which is the skin. This is the area in which pathogens first invade the body.
Protective energy
The pathogens try to penetrate the body and the protective qi or energy fights against them to defend our body. The protective energy runs in the first layer twnety-five times in the daytime around our body. After the daytime cycle, the nourishing qi or energy circulates in the body at night another twenty-five times.
Stages or layers against external pathogens
There are many layers or stages in the order of getting deeper in the body. They are Taiyang stage – Yangming stage – Shaoyang – Taiyin stage – Shaoyin stage – Juyeyin stage. The deeper it gets into the body, the more serious the condition becomes. Diseases move out of any deeper layers or stages towards the outer layer or stage. It means that our body gets better.
Standard symptoms of external pathogens
Taiyang stage
This is the first stage in which exogenous pathogens attack the body. This is how exogenous pathogens make you sick. Patients suffer from fever and aversion to cold, headache, and stiff neck and back, for the first or second days after invasion of exogenous pathogens.
Yangming stage
Diseases in Taiyang stage develop into this stage, if they are not resolved in the stage.
Patients experience symptoms, such as high fever in the body, painful eyes, dry nose and difficulty sleeping for the second and third days after the invasion.
Shaoyang stage
Patients suffer from painful chest and hypochondriac region, difficulty hearing, bitter taste in the mouth, dry tongue, alternating heat and cold and vomiting, for the third and fourth days after the invasion.
Taiyin stage
We experience abdominal fullness, dry throat, feeling wet in hands and feet, diarrhea, thirst and abdominal pain, for the fourth and fifth days after the invasion.
Shaoyin stage
We have dry mouth and tongue, and aversion to cold for the fifth and sixth days after the invasion.
Jueyin stage
We feel irritable and full inside, and we have contracting feeling in the testicles
Treatments
With the pathogens first invading us, the disease transfers in the leg meridians alone. It does not transfer in the hand meridians. You will recover when the disease transfers in the order of generating cycle. With transfer in the opposite cycle, exogenous pathogens will make you sick.
Five elements
In the five elements or movements, metal generates water.; water generates wood.; wood generates fire.; five generates earth.; and earth generates metal. This is the generating cycle.
The opposite will be the controlling cycle.: metal controls wood.; wood controls earth.; earth controls water.; water controls fire.; and fire controls metal.
Acupuncture points in Acupuncture and moxibustion experience by Huh Im
According to Huh Im, we should use the following acupuncture points:
Day 1: Du16
Day 2: LI3
Day 3: SJ3, GB41
Day 4: LU11, SP1
Day 5: HT7, KI3
Day 6: HT4, LV4, PC5
Fu organs are responsible for the exterior part of the body. For the disease on the outer surface, you will want to use acupuncture points, such SI5, SJ6, LI5, and GB38.
Zang organs are responsible for the interior part of the body. For the disease in the interior, you will want to use acupuncture points, such as SP5, KI7, LU7, HT4, and PC5.
Acupuncture points in Saam Korean four needle system
According to Saam, you will want to use acupuncture points as follows:
Day 1: Badder meridian receives the disease and the meridian is deficient. You should tonify acupuncture points LI1 and sedate ST36.
Day 2: Stomach meridian receives it. You should tonify acupuncture points ST36 and sedate GB41.
Day 3: Gallbladder meridian receives it. You should tonify acupuncture points GB43 and sedate LI1.
Day 4: Spleen meridian receives it. You should tonify acupuncture points LU8 and SP9, and sedate BL1.
Day 5: Kidney meridian receives it. You should tonify acupuncture points LU8 and KI10, and sedate SP3.
Day 6: Liver meridian receives it. You should tonify acupuncture points KI10 and LV1, and sedate LU8.
Day 7: Bladder meridian becomes weak, and Small intestine meridian receives it.
Day 8: Stomach meridian becomes weak, and Large intestine meridian receives it. You should tonify acupuncture points ST36 and sedate GB41 and ST43.
Day 9: Gallbladder meridian becomes weak, and Triple burner meridian receives it. You should tonify acupuncture points BL66 and GB43, and sedate GB44 and BL67.
Day 10: Spleen meridian becomes weak, and Lung meridian receives it. You should tonify acupuncture points SP4 and HT7, and sedate LV1 and SP1.
Day 11: Kidney meridian becomes weak, and Heart meridian receives it. You should tonify acupuncture points LU5 and KI10, and sedate SP4 and KI3.
Day 12: Liver meridian becomes weak, and Pericaridum meridian receives it. You should tonify acupuncture points KI10 and LV8, and sedate LI1 and LV1.
Conclusion
In east Asian medicine, our body is microcosm of the universe. We experience six energies in our body just as we can see in the universe. They are wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire. The six energies become pathogenic, and they become exogenous pathogens which make you sick. There are certain stages or layers in which the pathogens develop in our body. The deeper they enter, the more serious the condition become.
I reviewed two of the Korea acupuncture books. They show different acupuncture points for each stage. I understand that in practice the days of disease transfer do not mean much. Patients present with various symptoms. This can tell us a certain stage in which they may be in at the time. You may want to consider using the above acupuncture points accordingly.
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One reply on “How external pathogens make you sick?”
Very nice write-up. I definitely appreciate this site. Thanks!