Origin of diseases from the point of view of TCM

Internal and external harmful influences

The realization that diseases can come from outside is nothing new. In the past, it was evil spirits that gave us a hard time, today it is viruses and bacteria that make life difficult for us. However, TCM has known for over 2000 years that internal factors such as emotions can trigger an illness. In our country, however, this has only been the case for about 100 years.
External pathogenic factors enter the body through the skin, mouth or nose. Here, the lungs in particular are our weak point.

External disease can occur for 2 reasons: 
a) the pathogenic factor is stronger than the healthy Wei-Qi 
b) the Wei-Qi is simply too weak to fight off the pathogenic factor. 
 
External pathogenic factors are:
 
Wind 
Cold 
Heat 
Summer heat; extreme heat
Humidity 
Drought 
 

 
Wind has a Yang character. Typical for wind diseases is the sudden onset of symptoms, as well as the rapid change of the localization of the complaints. Especially the upper part of the body is affected, i.e. head and neck. Wind often appears with other influences, such as cold. Due to its Yang character, it damages the blood (Xue) and the Yin of the body. 
 
Symptoms: 
Rapid emergence of symptoms 
Change of localization 
Fever with chills 
Sweating 
Tremors, cramps, stiffness 
Wandering joint pain 
Itching 
 
 
Cold has a yin character. Cold contracts the body and damages the yang. 
 
Symptoms: 
Aversion to cold 
Desire for warmth 
Severe and localized pain 
Watery, clear secretions 
Contraction 
 
Heat has Yang character and damages the Yin. Heat dries up and burns the juices of the body. 

Summer heat: The same applies here as for heat. Only the symptoms here are more severe and can lead to fainting.
 
Symptoms:  
Redness, heat, dryness 
Decreased excretion 
Insomnia 
Thirst 
 
!! All pathogenic factors can turn into heat inside over a longer period of time. 
 
Humidity has yin character and damages the yang. Dampness is heavy, sluggish and tends to go down. Dampness occurs when food is no longer digested optimally, or you constantly cool down with dairy products and a lot of raw food.
 
Symptoms: 
Feeling of heaviness e.g. in head and legs 
Fatigue and listlessness 
Feeling of fullness 
 
 
Mucus 
When the condition worsens, mucus gradually develops from moisture. There are 2 types of mucus. The visible and the invisible mucus 
 
Visible mucus: 
Swelling under the skin 
Ejection 
Deformation of the joints 
 
Invisible slime: 
In the pathways: Numbness, paralysis. 
In the heart: Tan blocks the heart channels, resulting in mental illnesses 
In the kidney and gallbladder: stones 
 
 
Drought has Yang character and damages the Yin by drying up the liquids
 
Symptoms:  
Dryness (skin, hair, thirst) 
Chapped lips and tongue 
Dry chair 
Dry cough 
 
Internal Pathogenic Factors: 
Internal pathogenic factors are, in principle, emotions. We need them and they make life colorful and varied. However, if an emotion is suppressed too strongly or completely, the element concerned is damaged, since every emotion can also be assigned to one of the elements. 
 
The emotions are: 
WOOD: anger, rage, resentment make the qi rise 
FIRE: Manic joy disperses the qi 
EARTH: Brooding and worrying make the qi get stuck
METAL: Grief weakens the Qi 
WATER: Fear lowers the Qi downwards
WATER: Fear, fright make the qi chaotic

 
If such emotions persist long enough, they turn into heat. 
 
 
Neutral pathogenic factors: 
 
Constitution: General vitality, childhood and births 
 
Lifestyle: Physical and mental overexertion  
 
Nutrition: bad eating habits 
 
Trauma: accidents, emotional shocks 
 
Mistreatments: Antibiotics... 
 
Parasites, toxins