What are the eight principles?
Eight principles form the basis for the diagnosis of disease in traditional Chinese medicine. The principles are based on four dualites: internal/external, cold/heat, deficiency/excess and yin/yang. Practicing this art uses these dualities to determine the type of disease the patient has and the best way to treat it. Before recognizing the theory and the illness of seeds, it was the only kind of healing science available to most Asia. Many people still use traditional Chinese medicine as an alternative or complement to modern medicine.
The first diagnostic principles, internal and external, are quite simple. External conditions occur on or near the body surface and include the skin and muscles. Diseases, such as colds and flu that cause fever and other external symptoms, are considered external and manifest themselves from external influences. Internal diseases are considered more serious and affect the core of the body. These diseases are considered a result of the "Zang-fu" organs.
The second set of eight principleIt is organized around the effects of temperature on the body. Cold disease causes slow movements, body pain and chills. Clear or white body discharges are considered signs of cold. Hot disease is related to fever or thirst and produces strong discharges from the body.
The third diagnostic principles are deficiency and excess, or XU and shi, as are known in Chinese. The XU diseases are caused by a lack or lack of something in the body and are manifested through weakness and lethargy. SHI disease comes from the inner surplus and creates acute symptoms that come and leave quickly.
yin and yang are the fourth and last pair of eight principles. These control the other six and form a conceptual basis for most of Chinese philosophy. Yin is associated with internal, cold and xu.s, which are chronic, slowly moving diseases. Traditional experts prescribe heat and strengthen herbs to cure a person with pJin.
Yang diseases are characterized by heat and excess and are internal diseases. These are acute conditions that often cause sharp pain that quickly come to the patient. Treatment of these diseases involves maintaining a cold and well -hydrated patient.
Eight principles appear in many aspects of traditional Chinese medicine. Practical acupuncture and herbal medicine use these principles to diagnose conditions and attempt to return yin and yang back to harmony. Many adherents of these practices also use these principles to maintain their diet and lifestyle.