3 Yin depletion syndrome and yang depletion syndrome
2.1.4.3.1 Yin depletion syndrome
Yin depletion syndrome refers to the critical conditions of severe exhaustion of yin fluid. This syndrome is usually caused by continuous high fever, profuse sweating and excessive vomiting and diarrhea in exogenous febrile diseases, or by massive bleeding, or by chronic disease in which profuse yin fluid is lost due to gradual consumption.
Clinical manifestations: Apart from the serious symptoms seen in the primary disease, there appear some other symptoms, including pyretic, salty and sticky sweating, fever over the body, warm limbs with aversion to heat, dry skin, flushed complexion, thirst with preference for cold drinks, restlessness, or even coma, scanty urine, reddish and dry tongue as well as thin, fast, swift and weak pulse, etc.
Analysis of the symptoms: Failure of exhausting yin fluid to control yang gives rise to internal exuberance of asthenic heat and drives fluid to be excreted, leading to feverish, salty and sticky sweating, feverish body and warm limbs with aversion to heat as well as flushed complexion; deficiency of yin fluid and loss of moisture lead to dry skin, thirst, preference for cold drinks and dry tongue; exhaustion of fluid causes scanty urine; heat disturbing heart spirit results in restlessness or even coma; reddish dry tongue as well as fast, swift and weak pulse are the signs of internal heat due to yin asthenia.
2.1.4.3.2 Yang depletion syndrome
Yang depletion syndrome refers to critical symptoms due to declination of yangqi. This syndrome is usually caused by massive bleeding, profuse sweating, violent vomiting and diarrhea which lead to exhaustion of blood and loss of yang together with yin, or by sudden loss of yangqi due to extreme exuberant cold attacking the body,or by chronic disease which gradually exhausts yangqi, or by retention of phlegm that obstructs the heart vessels, etc.
Clinical manifestations: Apart from severe symptoms in primary disease, there are still some other manifestations, such as profuse cold sweating, pale complexion,
cold skin, cold limbs, bland taste in the mouth without thirst or with thirst and preference for hot drinks, weak breath, dispiritedness, or even unconsciousness, coma,pale and moist tongue as well as indistinct pulse.
Analysis of symptoms: Profuse cold sweating is dueto depletion of yangqi that fails to astringe; pale complexion and pale tongue are due to decline of yangqi that fails to transport blood upwards; cold skin and limbs is due to decline of yangqi that fails to warm; bland taste in the mouth without thirst or with thirst and preference for hot drinks is due to internal exuberance of yin cold resulting from declination of yangqi; weak breath is due to loss of yangqi and asthenia of qi; dispiritedness and even unconsciousness and coma are due to declination of yangqi and loss of nutrition for spirit; indistinct pulse is due to depletion of yangqi that fails to warm and transport blood.
Both yin depletion syndrome and yang depletion syndrome may appear at the critical stage of diseases. Inaccurate differentiation of syndrome or delayed treatment will lead to separation of yin from yang and result in death. Since yin and yang in the human body depend on each other to exist, depletion of yin may lead to depletion of yang, and vice versa. In clinical practice, it is necessary to make clear whether yin depletion or yang depletion is primary for the benefit of timely treatment.
