Wu Xing pattern Differentiation

Question 1

What are 4 symptoms of Water not generating wood?
Pattern associated with this?

Answer 1

Dizziness, blurred vision, headaches, vertigo

Kidney & Liver-yin Xu

Question 2

What are 3 symptoms of Earth not generating metal?

Pattern associated with this?

Answer 2

Phlegm in the chest, cough, tiredness

spleen Xu leading to formation of phlegm -> obstructing the lungs

Question 3

What are 4 symptoms of Wood not generating fire?

Answer 3

Indecision, timidity, insomnia, palpitations

generally falls outside of the scope of internal organ patterns
sometimes described as Gallbladder Xu or liver-qi Xu - which is unusual because it rarely happens
corresponds when hun doesn’t come and go enough

Question 4

What are 3 symptoms of Fire not generating earth?

Pattern associated with this?

Answer 4

Chills, weak limbs, loose stools

Spleen-yang Xu
note however that in the internal organ patterns - spleen derives it’s heat from kidney-yang and their relationship is more clinically relevant than b/w heart and spleen

Question 5

What are 3 symptoms of Metal not generating water?

Pattern associated with this?

Answer 5

Cough, asthma, breathlessness

Kidneys not receiving Qi

Question 6

What are 2 symptoms of Fire overwhelming metal?

Pattern associated with this?

fire over-melts metal to the point that it vaporises & disappears

Answer 6

Red face, cough with yellow sputum

Full-heat in lungs

Question 6

What are 3 symptoms of Earth overwhelming water?

earth over-controls water, smothering it & then the river/stream disappears

Answer 6

Yellow face, oedema, difficult urination

Occurs if Xu spleen fails to transform & transport fluids -> accumulate -> obstruct the kidney from transforming & excreting fluids

Question 7

What are 4 symptoms of Metal overwhelming wood?

metal chops down all the wood, like machinery destroying a forest

Answer 7

White complexion, irritability, cough, chest distension

lack of lung-qi descending -> impairing free flow of liver qi

Question 8

What are 4 symptoms of Wood overwhelming earth?

wood breaks up soil & depletes earth’s nutrients

Answer 8

Loose stools, poor appetite, hypochondriac pain, irritability

note - in the case of manifestations pretaining to one element and the complexion another, the complexion shows the origin of disharmony (usually)
eg. earth symptoms here but face is greenish - wood overwhelming earth
liver invading spleen

Question 9

What are 5 symptoms of Water overwhelming fire?

Pattern associated with this?

water extinguishes fire altogether leaving behind no spark

Answer 9

Chills, dizziness, palpitations, oedema of ankles, backache

Kidney-yang Xu water overflowing to heart

Question 10

What are 4 symptoms of Fire rebels against water?

Pattern associated with this?

Answer 10

Malar flush, insomnia, night sweating, dry mouth

Kidney & heart not harmonised
eg. kidney-yin Xu leading to heart empty-heat

Question 10

What are 2 symptoms of Earth rebels against wood?

Answer 10

Jaundice, hypochondriac pain and distension

failure of spleen to transform fluids ->dampness -> accumulates & obstructs the smooth flow of liver-qi, impeding the free flow of bile

Question 11

What are 3 symptoms of Wood rebels against metal?

Answer 11

Cough, asthma, hypochondriac distension

Liver channel influences chest & stagnant liver-qi or liver-fire can obstruct the chest & prevent lung-qi from descending

Question 12

What are 4 symptoms of Water rebels against earth?

Pattern associated with this?

Answer 12

Oedema, tiredness, weak limbs, loose stools

spleen & kidney-yang Xu

Question 13

What are 3 symptoms of Metal rebels against fire?

Pattern associated with this?

Answer 13

Palpitations, breathlessness, insomnia

Lung and heart-qi Xu