Eight principles

Eight Principles is a fundamental theory in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that provides a diagnostic framework for identifying patterns of disharmony in the body. The eight principles are divided into four pairs of opposites: Yin and Yang, Interior and Exterior, Cold and Heat, and Deficiency and Excess.

Yin and Yang

Yin and Yang are the most fundamental concepts in TCM. They represent two opposite aspects of every phenomenon in the universe. In the context of the human body, Yin represents the material aspects, such as the body fluids and tissues, while Yang represents the functional aspects, such as the activities of the organs and the body's metabolism.

Interior and Exterior

The Interior and Exterior principle refers to the location of the disease. Diseases that affect the skin, muscles, or joints are classified as exterior, while diseases that affect the internal organs are classified as interior.

Cold and Heat

The Cold and Heat principle refers to the nature of the disease. Cold diseases are characterized by a slow onset, pale complexion, preference for warmth, and slow pulse, while heat diseases are characterized by a rapid onset, red complexion, thirst, and rapid pulse.

Deficiency and Excess

The Deficiency and Excess principle refers to the strength of the disease and the body's resistance. Deficiency diseases are characterized by weakness, fatigue, and a weak pulse, while excess diseases are characterized by severe symptoms and a strong pulse.

Application

The Eight Principles are used in combination to diagnose and treat diseases. For example, a disease could be diagnosed as an interior, heat, and deficiency disease, which would indicate that the disease is located in the internal organs, has a heat nature, and is caused by a deficiency in the body's resistance.

See Also

• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Yin and Yang
• Five Elements
• Qi

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