Allen Lalumia TCM Patterns Yin Fire I myself potentially suffer from a yin fire complex so I regard myself

as object of this subject. Much of my opinion comes from my treatment and discussions by and with Dr. Chang as well as my personal study of this subject. I am also a follower of the earth / fire philosophy so I am aware of the opinions of that school of thought. As described in the Pi Wei Lun: Dietary irregularity and immoderate eating of cold and warm foods may damage the spleen and stomach, while joy, anger, worry, and fright may consume and cause detriment to the original qi. If the spleen and stomach qi becomes decrepit and the original qi becomes insufficient, heart fire may become effulgent on its own. This heart fire is a yin fire. It starts from the lower burner and links to the heart. The heart does not reign exclusively; ministerial fire is its deputy. Ministerial fire is the fire of the pericardium developing from the lower burner. It is a foe to the original qi. This yin fire and the original qi are mutual. If one is victorious, the other must be the loser. When spleen and stomach qi becomes deficient and their qi consequently sinks down into the kidneys, yin fire is given a chance to overwhelm the earth phase. Yin Fire Syndrome is a complex set of symptoms that I call the downward triangle. It involves disharmony between the spleen / stomach / small intestine, as well as the liver and kidneys. In classical terms this is a disturbance of the Ministerial fire (Original Yang of the Kidneys that promotes the viscera, bowels, and pericardium) and results in the flaring of the Sovereign or Emperor fire of the heart (circulation and heart rhythm); thus the Shen is also disturbed. One can say in other terms that this is a pathology of the solar plexus chakra and can be further described as a problem of the will, as well as pathological forms of thought and emotion. The first complex is a deficiency of Original Qi (fed from Essential Qi of the kidney, spleen and lung). A weakening of the original qi (the literal battery within the lower dantien) will begin to, or further distress the Spleen and Stomach, resulting in Spleen qi deficiency. From here, both the upper (lung and heart) and lower burner (digestion and general vitality) can become stressed as the body becomes burdened by dampness below, and phlegm above. As the stores of blood and qi begin to empty, the body becomes severely depleted, both of Liver Blood and Kidney Yin. Once the kidneys become deficient, emotional fire rises from the Liver and disturbs the heart. The kidney / adrenal system subsequently begins to dump into the blood loads of both adrenaline, in response to stress (further exacerbating the inflammation in the body and heart), and corticosteroids in response to the inflammation. The body / mind then begins to operate almost exclusively in a sympathetic nervous state. Thus, the destructive feedback loop is born. The body begins to consume itself. The spleen Yang also descends and further ignites the fire of the dantien such that the stores of Original qi and Jing are set aflame. This situation will ultimately result in the yin energies and tissues of the body literally catching fire with resulting acidity of tissues, extracellular fluids, and bowels. The mucosa of the stomach can be affected as well as the nervous system, the joint capsule, and the lining of the Intestine. This, in my opinion is what is meant by yinfire (regardless of the confusion that everyone is making about this). The yin tissues of the body are inflamed and the yin Shen (restful consciousness of the heart, rather than the yang fire of the pericardium, is disturbed) thus we have the noted problems within the rhythms of the heart and the emotional disturbances. It is also my opinion that it all quickly leads to empty fire. There is a sputtering of the bodies total fire after the fire of the heart is consumed,

much like the dying embers of a damp fire crackle and sputter. Either extreme phlegm and damp or extreme dryness will be the other result. This turbulent situation is a complete disturbance of the immune response of the body and can be further described as follows: 1) Spleen Qi Deficiency 2) Damp Heat (although in my opinion it can also involve damp cold as we can see these patterns emerge in raw foodies as their bodies go catabolic). 3) Liver deficiency as a result of Kidney Yin / Yang Deficiency as well as underlying Blood Deficiency. 4) Stirring of ministerial fire upsetting the yin fire of the heart. The heart as well may have various pathologies as a result of the (potentially original) kidney qi deficiency or spleen qi deficiency. Thus we can speak of heart qi or blood deficiency. 5) It is my opinion that this pathology also involves the lower jiao as a result of functional cold, and advances to a circulatory pathology as the heart and lymph are disturbed. Pathologies of the heart can include palpitation, exercise intolerance, sleep disturbance, etc. 6) I also believe that in extreme cases (as most are) there is a further triangular disturbance between the brain's autonomic function, cellular function, and the circulatory system. 7) In addition as the yang qi sinks and collapses into the lower jiao, the patient will have a clouding of thought and may suffer from exacerbated bouts of depression, anxiety, and anger as the disease state progresses. This will generally follow the Elizabeth Kubler-Ross Five Stages of Grief and Loss. (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Sadness and Depression, Acceptance and Resolution) I mention this because it will greatly help the patient if the practitioner understands the psychology of chronic illness, landmark stages within the emotional body, and how to act upon those stages to allow the patient to arrive at the stage of acceptance and resolution. The symptoms of yin fire are complex and disturbing in that it can, and usually does, present as Bi (pain) and Wei (paralysis) syndromes (Gu [parasitic] syndromes may mimic and cause similar conditions, i.e. Lyme disease, syphilis, candida, mold or fungal infections]) with widespread systemic disturbance and are generally grouped under auto-immune disorders or knotty diseases. Included in this are western diseases such as multiple sclerosis, ALA, IBS, Chrohn's Disease, Lupus, etc. It can also be described as an attack by the immune system on healthy tissues and can include tissues of the bowel, muscular tissue, nervous tissue, as well as outward pathologies of the skin. In the western sense, there is no cure for these diseases. However, in our medicine these conditions can be reversed, although, it is my opinion that the bare minimum of time for recovery is one year from start of treatment; one year because it will take one year to circulate the light within the body and reestablish seasonal and cyclic equilibrium within the organs as well as the Shen. After one year and reestablishing the deeper rhythms of the body / mind one can expect modest changes, but it will take 2-3 years of discipline and behavioral changes to unlock the disease state from the body. It is difficult to treat these diseases and cure these diseases because of the incredible life changes that the patient must endure and undergo if they are to have lasting result. Generally, most people are unprepared to surrender in such ways and they will instead surrender to the disease. These problems are becoming more widespread as the existential stresses of life become greater and they are aggravated by nihilistic, worrisome, or anxious mind states. Poor dietary habits, excessive raw foods or processed foods, overwork and stress, EMF fields, general environmental toxicity, poor soil composition (mineral depletion both in the micro and macrocosm), unnatural lifestyles etc., are all contributing to greater and greater presentation of these diseases. A diagram of this pathology looks like this:

From Jason Blaylock's Paper Yinfire, Scribd

Some treatments (extremely basic) include: 1) Rebuild the yin. Rest and low stress. Stress relieving techniques such as meditation and light exercise such as stretching, extremely gentle yoga, t'ai qi, and specific qi gong for spleen, kidney, and heart. Treatments such as Washu and gentle massage. 2) Diet (bland earth diet, or Gerson style diet) centered on roots and leafy vegetables, simple grains, and cooling meats such as chicken. Organ meats can also be beneficial. A strict removal of sugar (excepting small amounts of fruit) must be maintained for a minimum of three months. Anti-inflammatory principle should be at the heart of discussion here. No greasy, oily food should be taken including nuts and seeds. Teas such as Chrysanthemum to cool the body. Absolutely no stimulants. 3) Acupuncture following principles laid out by authors such as Wang Le-ting in his 20th century classic Golden Needle Wang to correct problems of the Spleen and Liver. This protocol includes the use of Shen men (Ht 7), Rangu (Kd 2), Zusanli (St 36), Xuan Zhong (Gb 39), as well as Zhongwan (Ren 12). Shifu Chang will also use a Laoyang (Si 6) in the treatment of difficult cases. I would add points such as Fuliu (Kd-6: tonify the yang), Taixi (Kd 3), (tonify Kidney) and Taichong (Lv-3). This is presented as a very basic protocol. 4) Herbal formulas (to assist the Spleen and Stomach) such as: a) Buzhong Yiqi Tang: (Ginseng and Astragalus Combination) to assist the Spleen, or b) Gui Pi Tang, or Bu Zhong Yi Qi Wan (Central Chi Pills) / Li Zhong Wan (Ginseng and Ginger Combination) to assist the Spleen and Heart, & help ascend the yang. c) Yiqi Chongming Tang (Augment the Chi and Increase Vacuity) to clear the senses. d) Suan Zao Ren Tang to calm the Shen and nourish the heart.

Bibliography Bensky, Dan, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 1990, Eastland Press, Seattle, WA. Blalock, Jason, Yinfire and It's Pathomechanism, 2003, Scribd. Essay entitled, Brightening the Mind and the Senses, Subhuti Dharmananda, Director, Institute of Traditional Medicine, Portland, Oregon. Flaws, Bob (1). Chinese Articles and Essays Advocating the Use of Li Dong-Yuan's Ideas in Modern Clinical Practice. Http://bluepoppy.com/press. Flaws, Bob (2). The Formulas of Li Dong-Yuan: Complex Formulas for Complex Conditions. Wang, Le Ting, Golden Needle, 1990, Blue Poppy Press, Boulder, CO. Yang Shouzhong and Li Jianyong (translators), Li Dongyuang Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach, 1993, Blue Poppy Press, Boulder, CO.