The Cause of Diseases

TO study the cause of diseases, traditional Chinese medicine not only concentrates on the environmental factors, but also on the endogenous ones According to the theory of traditional chinese medicine, pathogenic factors damage the balance between yin and yang. So it is said in Su Wen: "The emergence of pathogenic factors comes either from yin or yang firstwhen they attack the human body. If it comes from yang, it is due to the attack of wind.rain, cold and summer-heat If it comes from yin, it results from improper diet and living comditions, excessive sexual activity and abnormal emotional changes" However it also believes that the key factor responsible for the onset of a disease lies in the condition of zhengqi (healthy qi) in the human body "When there is sufficient healthy qi inside, pathogenic factors have no way to invade the body" in the elucidation of diseases, traditional Chinese medicine holds that diseases are not only curable, but a~so preventable As to health care it emphasizes the cultivation of both the body and the spirit in daily life and the adjustment of daily activities according to the weather conditions. When diseases have already emerged,it advocates early diagnosis and timely treatment lest further transmission occur. !