Pathogenic Mechanisms (Bin-ji)

pathology

Bin-ji — general mechanisms of how a cause transforms into a disease. At its core is the struggle between “healthy qi” (defensive forces) and the pathogen: the dominance of the pathogen results in fullness, while the depletion of healthy qi results in emptiness. Other key mechanisms include: an imbalance of yin and yang; disorders of qi and blood (deficiency, stagnation, and retrograde flow); and disturbances in fluid metabolism. Understanding the mechanism is more important than a list of symptoms: it explains why these specific manifestations have arisen and determines the principle of treatment.