What are the TCM causes of edema other than internal injury (EPF’s)?
- Wind-damp/Wind-cold invasion of lungs leads to yang edema
- Toxic heat invading Lungs and Kidneys
- Water damp invading SP, KI and SJ
- Improper diet affecting SP leads to DH
- Long term illness leads to SP/ST failing of earth to control water
- Overstrain leads to Kidney mingmen fire decrease
What are some Western conditions that could cause edema?
Diabetes, hypertension, pregnancy, kidney disorders, injury and trauma
What are the four common categories of edema in Western medicine?
- Kidney disease
- Heart or cardiac disease
- Nutrient deficiency
- Endocrine disorders
What are the chief organs involved in edema?
LU, SP and KI. LV and SJ also involved
What is the main pathology of edema?
Root deficiency is spleen/kidney yang deficiency
If edema takes a long time to rebound after pushing it down it is?
Pitting edema
What are the most important differentiations to make about edema?
Need to make sure it is not cirrhosis causing abdominal fluid to be retained.
Yin edema qualities
- Spreads from bottom to the top
- Deficient and cold
- Symptoms like intolerance to cold, no thirst, scanty but not yellow urine, loose stool, listlessness, aggravated by overwork
Yang edema qualities
- Acute onset in 7 days
- Spreads from the top to bottom
- Excess heat syndrome
- Irritability, thirst, scanty yellow urine, constipation, red face or flushed face, rough breathing
- Usually affects young people with a strong constitution, slippery and forceful pulse
Edema spreading from centre to periphery is…
a good sign, good prediction for future.
Edema spreading from four limbs to centre is…
a bad sign.
Pulse deep but flooding…
curable
Pulse deep but faint and weak…
severe
Treatment for edema above the waist
Sweating
Treatment for edema below the waist
Promote urination (open the ghost door)
Water accumulating in abdomen and excess condition treatment
Ten Jujube formula to remove water
Treatment for yang edema
- Yang edema caused by wind-damp so focus on sweating and promote urination to remove xie qi, focus on lung.
- Hand tai yin and yangming meridians, reducing
Treatment for yin edema
- Zang fu already damaged so need to warm and tonify spleen and kidney
- Foot tai yin and yangming meridians, tonify plus moxa
Lung treatment
Disperse the lung
Spleen treatment
Tonify earth to control water
Kidney treatment
Tonify kidney and promote urination
Water damp treatment
Promote urination
Toxic heat treatment
Clear heat and remove toxin
Primary treatment for edema
Regulate SJ, move qi, promote urination
