Selected terms in traditional Chinese medicine and their interpretations

Abstract

Treat disease before it arises (治未病) ［zhi wei bing］: A preventive perspective in clinical medicine, mainly including two pointspreventive treatment of disease, and early treatment for prevention of complications. Therefore, it is said that a good doctor treats disease before it arises. Treat according to time, place and person. (因时, 因地, 因人制宜) (因时, 因地, 因人制宜) ［yin shi, yin di, yin ren zhi yi］: One of the therapeutic principles referring to the application of different treatment in accordance with climatic and seasonal conditions, geographical localities, and the patient's constitution. Supporting the normal and dispelling the evil (扶正祛邪) ［fu zheng qu xie］: two general principles of treatment which can be applied separately or in combination according to the patient's condition. They are closely correlated, as supporting the normal, i.e., strengthening the body resistance, facilitates the elimination of pathogenic factors, and dispelling the evil, i.e., eliminating the pathogens, promotes the restoration of normal Qi. Routine treatment (正治) ［zheng zhi］: use of medicines opposite in nature to the disease, e.g., to treat heat syndrome with medicines cold or cool in nature, also known as counteracting treatment (逆治) ［ni zhi］. This is applied in most cases, such as to treat excess with purgation or reduction (实则泻之) (实则泻之) ［shi ze xie zhi］, to treat deficiency with tonification or reinforcement (虚则补之) (虚则补之) ［xu ze bu zhi］, to treat cold with the hot (寒者热之) (寒者热之) ［han zhe re zhi］, and to treat heat with the cold (热者寒之) (热者寒之) ［re zhe han zhi］.