Abstract
Objectives : In this paper, lung atrophy syndrome[肺痿] in 『Huangdineijin(黃帝內經)』 and 『Jinguiyaolue(金匱要略)』 were compared, followed by examining its relation with upper wasting thirst[上消]. Also, ways in which psychological factors that contribute to lung atrophy syndrome could cause upper wasting thirst were studied. Methods : Verses from 『金匱要略·肺痿肺癰咳嗽上氣病脈證治』 and 『素問·痿論』 were analyzed based on various annotators's opinions to determine the cause and mechanism of lung atrophy syndrome and its relationship with upper wasting thirst. Results : In 『Jinguiyaolue(金匱要略)』, lung atrophy syndrome is described as the heat of the upper body entering the lungs to dry it out. The description in 『Suwen(素問)』 differs in that it accompanies atrophy symptoms, but the mechanism is the same. Lung atrophy syndrome in 『Jinguiyaolue』 could come from wasting thirst, while wasting thirst can be accompanied in deficiency caused by chronic lung atrophy syndrome. Heat in the lungs is caused by psychological factors where the person has lost its subject of possession or was unable to attain what was desired. When expanded to include heart atrophy syndrome[心痿] and lung atrophy syndrome[肝痿], the reason for upper wasting thirst could include immense sadness or excessive indulgence in pleasure due to unmet desires. Conclusions : Although diabetes and wasting thirst are not identical, application of wasting thirst pattern differentiation to diabetes treatment and management could lead to tailored treatment of each patient. Moreover, the five zhang pattern differentiation from the 『Suwen(素問)』 could increase treatment efficacy when applied to conditions caused by stress and emotional disorder, which are increasingly playing larger roles in causing wasting thirst, or diabetes.
