For many Centuries, the theory of the Six Evils in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has served as a diagnostic tool of sorts; to determine the source of imbalance in the Body.
Whenever you get a nasty cold, or flu you become familiar with how “Evil” that can feel, or how devastating a migraine can be. Back or neck pain can cause so much pain it seems almost evil, According to Chinese Medicine.
There are (6) different so called ‘Evil Winds’ that affects our health. They are as follows:
WIND EVIL
Wind that attacks the skin pores and leave you vulnerable to a weakened state of Immunity. If you are stressed, eating unhealthy, drinking too much alcohol; and experience a Wind Invasion, a sudden illness can manifest!
When the pores open up during a wind invasion, we become vulnerable to the other external evils. A wind invasion opens the door for other evils. In the spring and the fall we usually have more windy days and a lot more illnesses. Wear a scarf to combat this.
COLD EVIL
An itchy throat, nasal discharge and headache, are all signs of a cold evil that piggybacks off of the wind invasion. An illness from a wind invasion is likely to result in sweating. Winds opens up the pores, which makes it easier to sweat, which is a good thing because it’s helping to expel the wind invasion.
However, sweating also makes it possible for other important fluids to be lost and for another evil to invade; such as a cold.
Symptoms of cold invasion include chills, coughing and paleness with no sweating. Cold evil constricts the flow of blood and results in blood stagnation.
Blood stagnation can result in pain, especially in the lower body.
HEAT EVIL
Summer heat can cause vulnerability to heat invasion. Heat evil is dry in nature. An invasion of heat invigorates the blood. Heat invasion “heats the blood and especially the skin. You could develop a fever and have a strong thirst for a cold beverage. When a wind invasion combines with a heat invasion, you can get a burning sore throat with yellowish-greenish phlegm. According to TCM theory, heat evil disrupts body fluids and can cause mental unrest.
SUMMER HEAT EVIL
Summer Heat evil relates to hot, damp, humid, lazy conditions. You sweat profusely, you can’t seem to drink enough fluids, you can become nauseous and vomit.
Mentally and physically, you can be very squirmy, tossing and turning while trying to sleep or concentrate. This evil can dehydrate the body and cause greater imbalances.
DAMP EVIL
Wind, cold and dampness can attack the joints. There are internal causes of dampness such as poor diet. Damp evil makes things seem heavier. Dampness tends to magnify how we relate to weather, hot weather feels hotter; cold on our skin feels colder. Damp evil also blocks the flow of Qi. This can manifest as poor digestion during a damp invasion.
DRY EVIL
Fall is the time of year that we are exposed to dry invasion. The skin becomes cracked, the lungs become wheezy, and we seem to develop a strong thirst.
The evil winds are one of the ways we diagnose, to determine the best treatment to get you back to optimum health.
I wish you the best in your Health, Wealth & Happiness!
Dr. Wu Dhi
Sherwood S. Swartz AP, MMQ.
