Yin Yang theory may be translated into clinical practice through observing common patterns of disease in our patients. We can find the roots of illness by taking a careful history and paying close attention to every symptom as it points to the source of pathology. Complex cases will have a mixture of both yin and yang imbalances requiring herbal prescriptions that include elements of multiple classical formulas.
Location of pathogenic factors
YIN/lower body - gastrointestinal/urogenital systems
YANG/upper body - cardiorespiratory/neurohormonal systems
Source of pathogenic factors
YIN/internal source - intestinal flora/diet/emotions
YANG/external source - infectious diseases/environmental toxins
Immune dysfunction
YIN/immune deficiency - failure of macrophage clearance of pathogenic factors
YANG/autoimmunity - inflammation due to cross reactive antibody and T cell responses
Therapeutic intervention
YIN - immune system tonification to enhance clearance of pathogenic factors
YANG - antimicrobials and antiinflammatories for growth inhibition and symptom relief