Essentials of Acute Internal Medicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Author: Edited by Zhou Zhongying / Jin Miao Wen
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-10-01
Features: The guiding principle behind the compilation of this book is to strive to reflect the practical application of the TCM internal medicine syndrome differentiation and treatment system in emergency medicine, highlighting its advantages, expressing its role and significance. Adhering to the principles of "using the old for the new" and "using the West for the East," the book is based on clinical experience, incorporates the latest research findings, enriches and expands the content, and reflects the unique characteristics of TCM. The disease names are primarily based on TCM, while maintaining TCM characteristics as much as possible. A few Western disease names are introduced based on clinical realities, or creatively established names, such as naming "Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome" as "Epidemic Spotted Fever" due to its clinical features, and renaming "Guangge" (a traditional term) as "Acute Renal Failure" because it involves multiple modern diseases and lacks clear meaning. Both "Jue" (fainting) and "Tu" (collapse) have been considered as symptom names rather than disease syndrome names. However, we now understand that "Jue" and "Tu" have both differences and connections, with a causal relationship where "Jue" can lead to "Tu." Therefore, we have clearly defined "Jue-Tu" as an independent disease syndrome name. In terms of disease syndrome selection, the book ensures focus and teaches people how to fish, aiming to achieve the goal of generalizing from specific cases by introducing the main common and critical emergency disease syndromes in acute conditions. At the same time, it clearly distinguishes the boundaries between the disease syndromes in this course material and those in related clinical courses. For example, "Apoplexy" (stroke) is already covered in internal medicine, while "Chunwen" (spring warmth) and "Shuwen" (summer warmth) fall under pediatrics and warm disease categories, which are not repeated here. However, "Hemoptysis" is discussed in internal medicine, focusing on pathogenesis and syndrome differentiation, summarizing the commonalities of bleeding from different locations for syndrome differentiation and treatment. This broadens the application of treatment methods and prescriptions while deepening theoretical knowledge, playing a role in simplifying the complex and being close to clinical emergency needs. Regarding "Convulsions," although there is a dedicated section on "Jing" (convulsion) in internal medicine, it is included here as part of the acute conditions following "High Fever with External Pathogens" because it is one of the severe conditions involving "Jing," "Jue," "Bi," and "Tu." The content of the "Acute Yellow Jaundice" chapter corresponds to and differs from that of "Jaundice in Internal Medicine." It highlights the severity of the disease and enriches the content of syndrome differentiation and treatment. The theory of the entire book is based on clinical practicality, maintaining the characteristics of the TCM theoretical system without merely citing classical texts or empty words. It also innovates in practice, such as in the etiology section, where dietary factors have traditionally been classified under internal injury. However, based on clinical realities, dietary immoderation and excess should be considered part of internal injury, while unclean food belongs to external pathogens, which is generally referred to as "disease entering through the mouth." This requires further differentiation on the basis of the traditional understanding that dietary factors are primarily internal injury. In the syndrome differentiation and treatment section, the book adopts a separation of syndrome differentiation and treatment methods/prescriptions, aiming to reflect the organic connections between syndromes and the cross-complexity between treatment methods. This differs from the traditional writing pattern of one syndrome, one treatment in internal medicine disease syndromes. For example, in "Epidemic Spotted Fever," although each stage is divided into several syndrome types, it focuses on introducing the main treatment methods and prescriptions for each stage while highlighting the primary pathogenesis and syndrome differentiation of each stage. This achieves the goal of simplifying the complex and being practical. The book consists of four chapters: Introduction, Basic Principles of Acute Internal Medicine in TCM, Diagnosis and Treatment of Common Acute and Severe Internal Medicine Diseases, Acute Toxicity Rescue in Internal Medicine, and Common Acute Internal Medicine Emergency Techniques. This book is suitable for teaching reference in TCM programs of higher TCM colleges and universities across the country and is also appropriate for various professionals engaged in TCM medical treatment and research.