Cold Syndrome(寒证) and its manifestations

Cold Syndrome(寒证):

It is caused by exposure to exogenous pathogenic cold, or preponderance of yin and yang deficiency, resulting in hypofunction of the body, marked by symptoms with cold and chilly characteristics. Since both preponderance of yin and yang deficiency can cause cold syndromes, there are excess cold syndrome and deficiency-cold syndrome.

Clinical Manifestations: Aversion to cold(or fear of cold), preference for heat, cold limbs, huddling up with cold, cold pain, alleviated by warmth, tastelessness in the mouth, absence of thirst, clear and thin sputum, saliva and nasal discharge, loose stools, pale complexion, light pale tongue with white and moist coating and tight or slow pulse.

Syndrome Analysis: An acute onset is found and it is caused by exposure to exogenous pathogenic cold, or much intake of raw cold food, strong patients often have the excess-cold syndrome. Those who have preponderance of cold in a chronic illness caused by internal injuries and deficiency of yang qi tend to get the deficiency cold syndrome. It is often the exterior cold syndrome if cold attacks the exterior. It is often the interior cold syndrome if cold invades the zang-fu organs. The body can't be warmed when there is deficiency of yang qi or yang qi is obstructed by exogenous cold, thus there appear aversion to cold, preference for heat, cold limbs, huddling up with cold, and cold pain, alleviated by warmth. Because cold is preponderant and body fluids are not consumed yet in the body, there are tastelessness in the mouth, absence of thirst, clear and thin sputum, saliva and nasal discharge, clear and cold urine and stools, and white and moist coating. Tight pulse is due to cold obstructing yang qi, and slow pulse is due to yang deficiency and less power to drive blood circulation.