The Causes and Symptoms of Jue Disease in Traditional Chinese Medicine

The Yellow Emperor inquired: “Why do conditions like swelling in the waist and pain in the hips occur, especially during the first month of the year?”
Qi Bo replied: “The first month corresponds to the Taiyang meridian, and it aligns with the Yin element. During this time, Yang Qi is in the process of rising, but the cold Yin energy still lingers. This imbalance causes the Yang Qi to be insufficiently powerful, resulting in swelling in the waist and hip pain.”

The Yellow Emperor asked: “Why does the imbalance cause symptoms like lameness and weakness in the feet during the same time?”
Qi Bo explained: “In the first month, Yang Qi begins to thaw and dissolve the frozen energy. Due to the lingering effects of winter, Yang Qi is weak, particularly along the Taiyang meridian. This results in symptoms of lameness or weakness in one leg due to the deficiency of Yang on that side.”

The Yellow Emperor inquired: “Why do people experience tightness in the neck and pain radiating to the back?”
Qi Bo explained: “The sharp rise of Yang Qi can cause excessive upward tension. This affects the Taiyang meridian, leading to the tightness and stiffness in the neck and upper back.”

The Yellow Emperor asked: “What about ear symptoms like ringing and other strange sounds?”
Qi Bo replied: “Excessive Yang Qi causes all things to grow and rise. As the Yang ascends rapidly through the meridians, it can cause the ringing in the ears.”

The Yellow Emperor asked: “Why does excess Yang energy lead to disorders like mania and epilepsy?”
Qi Bo explained: “When Yang energy is confined to the upper part of the body, and Yin energy remains beneath, the Yin is insufficient while the Yang becomes excessive. This creates a conflict, resulting in conditions like mania or epilepsy.”

The Yellow Emperor asked: “What about symptoms like deafness due to reversed Qi?”
Qi Bo explained: “When the Qi in the body is disrupted, it causes an upward reversal of Yang Qi, leading to the disruption of the hearing process, causing deafness.”

The Yellow Emperor asked: “Why does unregulated sexual activity deplete kidney essence, leading to conditions like Gan Bi (scrofula)?”
Qi Bo answered: “Excessive sexual activity drains kidney essence, resulting in a reversal of Qi and a deficiency of Shaoyin essence. This leads to conditions like Gan Bi, where the reversed Qi affects the body.”

The Yellow Emperor inquired: “What causes chest pain and discomfort due to excess heat and blocked Qi in the Shaoyang meridian?”
Qi Bo explained: “The Shaoyang meridian’s symptoms arise in the ninth month of the year, corresponding to the Xu phase. As the Yang energy wanes and Yin energy increases, this imbalance causes pain in the heart and sides.”

The Yellow Emperor asked: “What happens when someone experiences difficulty in turning their body or when they feel restless and jumpy?”
Qi Bo replied: “During the ninth month, everything becomes still and dormant. As the Yang energy falls and Yin energy rises, this causes tension in the body, leading to difficulty turning or restlessness and sudden, involuntary movements.”

The Yellow Emperor inquired: “Why do people experience cold chills, trembling, or shivering symptoms during the fifth month?”
Qi Bo explained: “In the fifth month, Yang energy peaks, while Yin is on the rise. This shift in the balance causes excessive warmth in the body, leading to symptoms like chills and shivering.”

The Yellow Emperor asked: “Why do swelling in the legs and weakness occur in the fifth month of the year?”
Qi Bo answered: “The excessive Yang during this month gradually weakens, causing a conflict with the rising Yin energy. This leads to swelling in the legs and weakness, as the Yang and Yin energies fight for dominance.”

The Yellow Emperor inquired: “What causes difficulty in breathing and symptoms of water retention?”
Qi Bo replied: “When the Earth element (the spleen) fails to regulate the Water element (the kidneys), water begins to accumulate. This stagnant water interferes with proper fluid transformation, resulting in symptoms like shortness of breath and water retention.”

The Yellow Emperor asked: “What about chest pain and shallow breathing?”
Qi Bo explained: “When water accumulates in the organs, it ascends to the heart and lungs, causing chest pain and difficulty breathing.”

The Yellow Emperor inquired: “Why do some patients experience sudden symptoms like fear, aversion to light, and confusion?”
Qi Bo answered: “This is due to a conflict between Yang and Yin energies, causing a dissonance between water and fire, leading to disorientation and a fearful state.”

The Yellow Emperor asked: “Why do some patients prefer isolation and closing doors?”
Qi Bo replied: “When Yin energy dominates and Yang energy weakens, the body desires solitude to maintain the balance of stillness and quiet. The individual seeks seclusion as a natural response to the internal struggle between Yin and Yang.”

The Yellow Emperor concluded: “Thank you for the clarity in your explanations!”

Qi Bo explained: “The Taiyin meridian, associated with the greatest Yin, corresponds to the eleventh month, with the Zi phase. During this time, Yin energy reaches its peak, and everything is in a state of rest and concealment, including human energy. The Yin evil energy follows the meridian into the abdomen, causing abdominal bloating. If the Yang energy is overwhelmed, it ascends to the heart, causing belching. This is because excessive Yin energy travels from the spleen up to the Yangming stomach meridian, and then connects with the heart, which governs belching. When food enters, it may lead to vomiting because the spleen’s ability to transform food is impaired, causing the stomach to overflow. When the patient experiences relief after passing stool or gas, it is because the Yin energy, which had accumulated, descends, and as Yang energy begins to rise, the symptoms like bloating and belching decrease.”

Qi Bo further explained: “The Shaoyin meridian is associated with lower back pain because it corresponds to the tenth month of the year, when Yin energy begins to rise. The kidneys govern the lower back, and as Yin rises, it leads to discomfort in the lower back. Symptoms such as vomiting, coughing, and shortness of breath occur because the excess Yin in the lower body causes a lack of support for the rising Yang, leading to a blockage. Additionally, as Yin energy continues to rise, the body weakens, making it difficult for the person to stand or maintain posture, resulting in dizziness and blurred vision.”

He continued: “In the autumn, as Yin energy becomes dominant, people may feel irritable or angry due to the imbalance of energies. The body’s Qi becomes stagnant, and when anger rises, it leads to Jue (reversal of Qi). Fear can also occur, as the Yin energy, while still weak, struggles with the incoming Yang energy, causing restlessness and feelings of being trapped. Those suffering from a weak kidney fire may also experience loss of appetite due to insufficient warmth to nourish the digestive system, resulting in a strong aversion to food. A pale or dark complexion may be observed, especially in those with kidney deficiency, as the inner energy is depleted and the skin loses its vitality.”

Qi Bo then explained: “In the Jueyin meridian, conditions like hernia or abdominal swelling in women arise because this meridian corresponds to the third month of the year, when Yang energy begins to rise, but excess Yin still lingers. This imbalance leads to the stagnation of Yin evil energy, which affects the liver, causing symptoms like pain and swelling in the abdomen, particularly in the lower abdomen of women.”

He concluded: “When a person experiences pain in the waist and spine, difficulty bending, or other symptoms of excess heat or cold, it is a direct result of the imbalance of Yin and Yang energies. As the seasons change and Yin and Yang energies fluctuate, the body responds in various ways. Treatments must be adjusted according to the time of year, the individual’s constitution, and the specific symptoms.”