Difficulty 58

There are several types of cold damage diseases. Do their pulse manifestations vary?

Yes. There are five types of cold damage disease: wind strike, cold damage, damp warmth, heat disease, and warm disease. The suffering each causes is different. In wind strike, the pulse is floating and slippery when taken lightly, and soft and weak when taken deeply. In damp warmth, the pulse is soft and weak when taken lightly, and small and rapid when taken deeply. In cold damage, the pulse is full and tight-rough when taken both lightly and deeply. In heat disease, the pulse is floating when taken both lightly and deeply; when taken lightly it is slippery, and when taken deeply it is scattered and rough. In warm disease, the pathogenic factor moves through the various channels, and it is impossible to know which channel is affected; one must examine according to the channel in which the pathogen resides.

In cold damage disease, some are cured by promoting sweating, while others die from purging; some die from promoting sweating but are cured by purging. Why is this so?

Yes. When yang is vacuous and yin is replete, promoting sweating leads to recovery, while purging leads to death. When yang is replete and yin is vacuous, promoting sweating leads to death, while purging leads to recovery.

How is cold-heat disease examined?

Yes. When cold-heat disease is in the cutaneous region, the skin cannot bear contact with the mat, the body hair is withered and scorched, the nose is dry, and there is no sweat. When it is in the muscular region, the skin is painful, the lips and tongue coating are dry, and there is no sweat. When it is in the osseous region, the patient feels general discomfort, there is profuse sweating without stopping, and the tooth roots are withered and painful.