Table 34.3Table 34.3 illustrates the differences between the four Levels.
To put the Four Levels in a nutshell one could say:
- Defensive-Qi Level: aversion to cold
- Qi Level: aversion to heat
- Nutritive-Qi Level: irritability, fever at night
- Blood Level: bleeding and maculae.
In this chapter I will discuss the symptomatology and treatment of common cold and influenza
not only in the initial stages, but also in their second stage, i.e. Qi Level. It is important to be
able to differentiate and treat patterns of the Qi Level because in most acupuncture practices we
are more likely to see patients after the initial invasion of Wind when the pathogenic factor is at
the Qi Level. I shall not discuss the Nutritive-Qi or Blood Levels as we are unlikely to ever see
patients at this stage.
I will discuss the following exterior patterns:
- Wind-Cold
- Wind-Heat
- Wind-Damp-Heat
- Wind-Dry-Heat.
In addition to these I will discuss the treatment of some of the interior patterns at the Qi Level:
- Lung-Heat
- Lung Phlegm-Heat
- Stomach-Heat
- Stomach and Intestines Dry-Heat
- Gall-Bladder Heat
- Lesser Yang pattern
- Stomach and Spleen Damp-Heat.
The ideal is of course to stop an invasion of an exterior pathogenic factor at the beginning stages.
This is not always possible for various reasons: our treatment may not always be the right one,
the patient may not take care during the acute invasion, the unnecessary use of antibiotics may
aggravate and prolong the condition or the disease may be a Warm disease which cannot be