2 Heat syndrome
Heat syndrome refers to symptoms due to attack by yang heat or various other factors or yin asthenia. This syndrome is usually caused by invasion of exogenous yang heat, or by interior transmission of heat transforming from pathogenic cold, or by transformation of fire from emotional upsets, or by transformation of heat from improper diet, or by internal generation of asthenic fire resuiting from excessive coitus, internal impairment due to overstrain, exhaustion of yin essence as well as yin asthenia and yang sthenia. Heat syndrome may be further divided into external heat syndrome, internal heat syndrome, asthenic heat syndrome and sthenic heat syndrome according to the cause and location of diseases.
Clinical manifestations. The manifestations vary with different types of syndromes. The usual symptoms are fever, aversion to heat with preference for cold, flushed complexion or flushed cheeks, thirst with preference for cold drinks, restlessness and insomnia, yellowish and sticky sputum and snivel, vomiting blood and epistaxis, scanty brownish urine, dry feces, reddish tongue with scanty moist and fast pulse, etc.
Analysis of symptoms. Predomination of yang heat or yin asthenia and yang sthenia leads to internal exuberance of asthenic heat and causes fever and aversion to heat
with preference for cold; fire tends to flame up drives qi and blood to flow upwards, leading to flushed complexion or flushed cheeks; consumption of body fluid by exuberant heat or deficiency of yin fluid gives rise to thirst with preference for cold drinks and scanty and brownish urine; heat disturbing the heart spirit results in restlessness and insomnia; body fluid scorched by heat causes yellowish and thick sputum and snivel; heat impairing blood vessels and driving blood to extravasate brings about hematemesis and epistaxis; consumption of body fluid by exuberant heat or deficiency of yin fluid deprives the intestines of lubrication and proper transmission and leads to dry feces; reddish tongue with scanty fluid and fast pulse are signs of exuberant heat impairing body fluid.
