2) TCM: Causes of Disharmony

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Causes of Disharmony

Traditional Chinese Medicine views the cause of disease in three main areas:

external causes, internal causes, and a group of miscellaneous causes which

primarily involve lifestyle. These are outlined below:

The Six External Causes

The six external causes of disease, also known as the six evils, are causes of

disharmony that relate to climatic conditions. Just as extremes of wind, cold,

heat, dampness, dryness, and summer heat can have devastating effects on the

world in which we live, they can also seriously alter the balance within the

body by diminishing, or blocking the flow of qi in the organs.

Wind is the most prevalent of the six external factors, and refers to the

ability of an illness to spread within the body. Symptoms commonly linked with

wind include chills, fever, colds, flu, nasal congestion, headaches, allergies,

arthritic and rheumatic conditions, as well as dizziness and vertigo.

Cold related imbalances manifest as conditions that diminish the body's immune

system, such as colds, cough, upper respiratory allergies, as well as poor

circulation, anemia, and weak digestion.

Heat conditions are described as hot and inflammatory, exacerbated by hot

weather and exposure to direct heat. They represent an over-active metabolic

process, which can result in hypertension, hyperthyroid, ulcers, colitis,

inflammed arthritic joints, as well as flu and skin rashes.

Dampness symptoms are created through the intake of oily and fluidic foods, as

well as wet weather. These symptoms may include swelling, obesity, the formation

of cysts, tumors, and lumps, and an increased production of phlegm. This phlegm

production can affect the sinuses and upper respiratory passages, including the

lungs and bronchioles.

Dryness can damage vegitation, and creates similar imbalances within the body,

causing disorders of the lungs, sinuses, large intestine, skin, digestion, and

reproductive organs.

Summer Heat, or an overexposure to sunlight and hot weather, can yield

conditions such as heat stroke, dizziness, nausea, extreme thirst, and

exhaustion.

The Seven Internal Causes

The seven internal causes, otherwise known as the Seven Emotions, are illnesses

brought about by intense, prolonged, or surpressed feelings, and are defined as

follows:

Sadness decreases the flow of qi in the lungs and heart, and is associated with

depression, fatigue, amenorrhea, shortness of breath, asthma, allergies, cold

and flu.

Grief is similar to sadness, and injures the lungs, decreases immunity to colds

and flu, as well as chronic upper respiratory diseases such as emphysema,

allergies, and asthma.

Pensiveness, or over-engaging the mind in activities such as worry, thought, or

study can deplete spleen qi, and may result in edema, digestive disorders, low

appetite, and fatigue.

Fear, or paranoia causes qi to descend, resulting in potential harm to the

kidneys, lower back, or joints when this emotion is ever present.

Fright, or shock is unlike fear in the sense that the onset is very sudden,

causing one's qi to diverge. The rapid change in flow first affects the heart in

symptoms such as breathlessness and palpitations, then moves to the lower body

in a similar fashion to fear, damaging the kidneys, lower back, and joints.

Anger encompasses all the negative emotions of rage, irritability, frustration,

and resentment, and causes the qi to rise inappropriately. Anger is associated

with headaches, mental confusion, dizziness, and hypertension.

Joy in Chinese Medicine refers to excess, or overabundance, and relates to

illness relative to overindulgence. Damage to the heart may result, and the

conditions of hysteria, muddled thought, and insomnia may arise.

We may not be able to change the direction of the wind, but we can adjust our

sails.

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