kill beneficial bacteria as well and leave the body weakened.
The above is not intended to be a critique of antibiotics but an objective analysis of their mode of
action as compared with Chinese medicine. There are many instances when antibiotics do need
to be used when an infection is advanced, widespread and potentially dangerous. In many cases,
however, antibiotics are used unnecessarily and routinely. Furthermore, Chinese herbs can be
taken in conjunction with antibiotic therapy if necessary as the two work in different ways.
Antibiotics will kill the bacteria, while Chinese herbs will either release the Exterior and expel
the pathogenic factor (in the beginning stages) or clear Heat and resolve Phlegm (in the later
stages). Indeed, Chinese herbs can also help to counteract the side-effects of antibiotics. These
destroy beneficial bacteria and from the Chinese point of view, they injure Stomach-Yin. This
can be observed in the partial peeling of the tongue coating that occurs after antibiotic therapy.
The addition of some herbs to tonify Stomach-Yin (such as Tai Zi Shen Radix Pseudostellariae)
can help to counteract the side-effects of antibiotics and restore the intestinal flora.
Latent Heat
Symptoms of ME appearing without an acute infection can be explained as a manifestation of
Latent Heat. The "Simple Questions" in chapter 3 says: "If Cold enters the body in wintertime, it
comes out as Heat in springtime."2(506) This means that under certain circumstances, a
pathogenic factor (which may be Wind-Cold or Wind-Heat) can enter the body without causing
immediate symptoms. It then incubates inside the body for some time, turning into Heat which
later emerges towards the Exterior causing a person to feel suddenly very tired with weary limbs,
slightly thirsty, hot and irritable. He or she would not sleep well and the urine would be dark. At
this time the pulse feels Fine and slightly Rapid and the tongue is Red. This condition is called
Latent Heat or Spring Heat, although it can occur in any season and not just in springtime.
Besides causing the above symptoms and signs, Latent Heat will also tend to injure Qi and/or
Yin, thus establishing a vicious circle of Heat and deficiency. This process of "incubation" of an
exterior pathogenic factor in the Interior to emerge as Heat later, explains many cases of ME.
Latent Heat can emerge on the surface by itself, as described above, or it can be "pulled" towards
the surface by a new invasion of external Wind. In this case, in addition to the above symptoms
of interior Heat, there would also be some exterior symptoms such as shivering, fever, occipital
headache, aches and sneezing. The pulse (Fine and Rapid) and tongue (Red), however, clearly
point to interior Heat.
Another factor that may draw Latent Heat towards the surface is emotional stress. Especially
when this affects the Liver and causes Heat, it may pull Latent Heat outwards.
Thus Latent Heat occurs when an individual suffers an invasion of exterior Wind without
developing immediate symptoms and the pathogenic factor goes into the Interior where it turns
into Heat and comes out months later. The underlying reason for this is usually a Kidney
deficiency. If the body condition and the Kidneys are relatively good, a person will develop
symptoms at the time of invasion of external Wind. This is a healthy reaction. If the Kidneys are
weakened by overwork and excessive sexual activity, the body's Qi is too weak even to respond