The “Six Climatic Qi” are Wind, Fire, Summerheat, Damp, Dryness and Cold. They correspond to seasonal changes.
They dominate throughout different times of the year. For example, Wind dominates in Spring and Cold dominates in Winter.
Under normal circumstances, the “Six Climatic Qi” is normal as the season changes. However, if our bodies are suddenly exposed to an excess of the Six Qi, or if our body’s immune system is weak, the “Six Climatic Qi” can turn into pathogenic factors, which we call the “Six Evils”.
The “Six Evil” disrupts the balance of the body and can cause sickness. I will discuss each of the “Six Evils” below.
Wind
Wind is the prevailing climatic condition in Spring. Wind is Yang in nature since it keeps moving.
It tends to attack the upper (Yang) part of the body. Therefore when there is a strong wind, people tend to get headaches. Wind is characterized by constant movements, and it leads to diseases such as dizziness vertigo, spasms etc.
Wind is a very strong Evil since Wind can also act as a vessel that brings other Evils in the body, so there are combined evils such as “Wind-Cold”, “Wind-Fire”, “Wind-Dampness” and “Wind Dryness”.
In the past, I was not conscious of how powerful Wind can be. Now, whenever I go outside, when there is strong wind I always wear a cap to prevent the “Wind Evil” attacking. According to the ancient text, “The well-educated person avoids the Wind like avoiding arrows.”
Fire
Fire is caused by excess Yang. Fire can consume body fluids and qi. Typical symptoms when attacked by Fire include high fever, thirst, dryness, deep yellow urine, and constipation.
Another property of Fire is that it flares upwards. Flaring up the fire can cause ulcers in the mouth and tongue, swollen gums, etc.
Summerheat
Summerheat is the prevailing climatic condition in the late summer. It occurs when the temperature is very high during hot summers.
Heatstroke is a typical issue when exposed to summer heat. Symptoms include nausea, giddiness, fever, sweating, and restlessness.
Dampness
Dampness is a climatic factor that prohibits the natural flow of Qi in the body. Therefore dampness is a Yin factor.
Dampness occurs when a person is living in a humid location, wearing wet clothes or with long exposure to water or rain. Dampness can result in the dysfunction of the Spleen, causing retention of fluids in the body.
Retention of fluid can cause nausea, distention in the abdomen, poor appetite, loose stools, edema, etc.
Dryness
Dryness is associated with Autumn. It is a pathogenic factor that depletes body fluids and causes dryness in the mouth, nose and throat as well as chapped skin, constipation and reduced urine.
Cold
Cold is the prevailing climate in winter. It is a Yin pathogenic factor that prohibits Yang qi. Cold disrupts the normal flow of qi, blood and body fluids. It causes contraction of the pores of the skin and causes pain and stiffness.
Understanding the Six Climatic Factors can help you raise awareness and be conscious in preventing the invasion of nature’s climatic qi by adapting the changing of climates. In future articles, I will be explaining seasonal health and what needs to be done in different seasons in order to maintain health.
Up next I will be discussing the most terrifying pathogenic factor – the Pestilential Qi!
Registered Acupuncturist (R.Ac), Alex Hui created this blog to share with the world the treasures in Chinese Medicine (CM).
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