Four stages
The Four Stages or Four Levels are from the Traditional Chinese medicine book Discussion of Warm Diseases by Ye Tianshi,[1][2] who lived from 1667-1746.
The stages, in order, range from surface (or "light") sickness to internal (or "deep") death.
Wei level
- This level is treated by releasing the exterior (diaphoresis)
- Wind-heat
- Summer-heat
- Damp-heat
- Dry-heat
Qi level
- The Qi is treated by dispelling heat and promoting body fluids
- Lung heat (heat in chest and diaphragm)
- Stomach heat
- Intestines dry-heat
- Gall-bladder heat (heat in the lesser yang)
- Stomach and Spleen damp heat
Ying level
- Ying (Nutritive qi) is treated by cooling fire and tonifing the yin
- Heat in Nutritive qi portion
- Heat in Pericardium
Blood level
- The Blood level treated by tonifing the yin and qi and stopping bleeding.
- Heat Victorious moves blood
- Heat victorious stirs wind
- Empty wind agitates in the interior
- Collapse of yin
- Collapse of yang
- Separation of yin and yang (Death)