External Pathogenic Influences, EPI

外因 wài yīn External causes (of disease)

六淫 liù yín The six excesses/evils

can you explain these terms in more depth? Perhaps chose one and give some common problems related to it and how to bring it back into balance.

For instance: 寒

(my limited knowledge goes something like this...)

Because women are 阴 they are inherently 冷and therefore are more susceptible to 寒 issues. Particularly during menstruation or pregnancy, a woman must be careful not to eat things that are too "cold", such as 苦瓜,罗寒果,绿豆,西样菜(watercress), etc, nor should they walk around barefoot, especially on cold tiles. Ginger is a good remedy for women who are too "cold".

I also wonder, is this more mental than physical? Before moving to China, I never noticed this type of thing. But after living in China for a while and being mildly educated on the subject, I began to notice the trend.

Luo Han Guo is not the correct character, but I can't seem to find it. It is a fruit/nut about the size of a tennis ball that is used in soups to suppress coughing. It has a sweet taste to it, which I find delicious, but it's too "cold" for me so I can only stand one little bowl full. :(

external pathogenic influences is 外感

Hello haining,

It helps to understand that most concepts in Chinese culture, including yin and yang, can only be defined in relation to something else. So females aren't always yin (阴). They're yin compared to males, but they may be yang in comparison to something else. A female runner, for example, would be more yang compared to a male living a sedentary lifestyle.

寒 (hán), along with the rest of the terms here, is a way to diagnose and identify various manifestations of pathogenic diseases. Basically these terms label the different manifestations of a cold or flu. So if you suddenly have a cough, a runny nose, and start sneezing a lot, you would probably be diagnosed with wind-cold invading the lungs, or Taiyang cold syndrome.

For more in depth info check out the following websites:

http://www.damo-qigong.net/pathogen1.htm#six

http://sacredlotus.com/diagnosis/six_stages.cfm

http://www.acupuncture.com/conditions/commoncold.htm

外因 vs 外感.  What's the difference?  Is one more accurate?

六淫 seems like a good way to describe the six evils.

Ah yes, actually I think we have a 枇杷树 in our yard and we also have the 枇杷膏 on hand for coughs. Though I like the flavor of the 罗汉果 when made into a soup/tea.

Thanks for the info above. My knowledge comes only from what my in-laws tell me and what I put together on my own, so it is nice to have things explained in more detail or set straight. Thanks!