"What Ailments Are Related to Wind?"

Wind Invasion in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Wind invasion refers to the infiltration of the body by wind pathogens, categorized into external and internal types. This condition can precipitate various ailments, encompassing colds and strokes. External wind stems from the natural environment, whereas internal wind arises from visceral dysfunction, notably liver malfunction, disrupting the harmonious flow of qi and blood. Spring season poses a heightened risk for wind pathogens to infiltrate and induce illness.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, wind pathogens are deemed the primary external pathogenic factor. They frequently precede other factors like cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire in invading the human body. Their pervasiveness and high invasiveness render them capable of triggering diverse diseases.

Upon contact with the human body's surface, wind pathogens readily penetrate it. Characterized by mobility and ubiquitousness, wind often leads to a myriad of diseases. For instance, when invading through meridians, they can impair the gastrointestinal system or directly affect the viscera, eliciting a broad spectrum of symptoms.

Wind pathogens initially target the lungs. In conjunction with cold, they elicit wind-cold syndrome, manifested as headache, aversion to cold, runny nose, and white cough. Conversely, when combined with warmth, they give rise to wind-heat syndrome, characterized by dry throat, sore throat, thirst, and yellow cough.

Wind can also harm blood vessels, often collaborating with blood stasis. In the presence of blood stasis, blood clots can traverse the body, causing conditions like stroke (when blocking the brain), angina or myocardial infarction (when blocking the heart), and limb discoloration, coolness, or even necrosis (when blocking peripheral blood vessels).

When wind pathogens collaborate with dampness, they primarily damage joints, leading to conditions like "bi syndrome." Notably, the combination of wind, cold, and dampness can precipitate rheumatoid arthritis, causing joint pain, deformity, morning stiffness, and other symptoms. Regions with limited soft tissue, such as the neck, shoulders, elbows, and knees, are particularly susceptible to wind invasion, potentially resulting in conditions like stiff neck, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, and chronic cold leg syndrome.

In traditional Chinese medicine, preventive measures against wind invasion encompass avoiding windy locales, gradually removing clothing, exercising outdoors with caution, adjusting dietary habits, and massaging specific acupoints like Hegu (LI4) to fortify the body's resistance against wind pathogens.