How does traditional Chinese medicine view autoimmune disorders?
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) refers to these conditions as “Bi” syndrome that could happen anywhere in the body. Often times, Bi syndrome is due to an external pathogenic invasion that is due to wind, cold, heat, damp or a mixture of these pathogens that attack the body. We can almost translate this as an “infection”, but not as a bacterial infection that can be cured with antibiotics. Sometimes, Bi syndrome can be caused by a viral, fungal, or any other kind of microorganism infection. Wherever these “infections” come from, they can lodge themselves in any part of the body. Infections then take resident in the following systems and create autoimmune disease: Infection in blood vessels – Lupus Infection in bones – Arthritis Infection in nerves – Multiple Sclerosis Infection in respiratory system – Allergies Infection in digestion system – Ulcerative Colitis Infection in skin – Psoriasis TCM is unique in its diagnosis of autoimmune disease and does not follow the Western paradigm.
