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Cold Diseases

Cold Disease of the body are of 2 kinds: the first is from excess exposure to cold, either internally or externally. Internal exposure is from the intake of cold food or drinks. External is exposure to Cold environment, either Cold, Rain and Wind, or air conditioning, for example.

The second type of Cold disease is due to waning of the Innate Heat, or Yang. Old age, weak digestion, excess sex or excess use of cold food and drink weakness the Innate Heat, thereby producing Coldness.

In practice, the treatment is similar. For excess exposure to Cold is only relative to the strength of the body Heat. So that someone with ample Innate Heat (Yang) can be outside in cold weather without detriment. Yang deficiency is regarded in TCM as a deeper degree of Coldness and requires Warming and strengthening medicines, medicines which activate the Yang. However, many of these are medicines that Warm the body, such as Cinnamon. In TCM, the primary clinical difference is the use of Aconite for severe Yang deficiency, nearly all of the Yang tonic formulas relying on Aconite.