SONG Tingting,DU Shuo,ZHAO Jiping.Theoretical Exploration of "Treat Heat with Cold" and "Disperse Fire Constraint" and Clinical Application in Acupuncture[J].Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2026,67(07):808-812.
SONG Tingting,DU Shuo,ZHAO Jiping.Theoretical Exploration of "Treat Heat with Cold" and "Disperse Fire Constraint" and Clinical Application in Acupuncture[J].Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2026,67(07):808-812.DOI: 10.13288/j.11-2166/r.2026.07.018.
Theoretical Exploration of "Treat Heat with Cold" and "Disperse Fire Constraint" and Clinical Application in Acupuncture
The connotation of "treat heat with cold" and "disperse fire constraint" differs, and under the guidance of these two principles, there are variations in the selection of acupoints, choice of needles, and manipulation techniques in clinical acupuncture. "Treat heat with cold" is used to clear and drain heat pathogens, while "disperse fire constraint" focuses on diffusing and dissipating fire from constraint. When both fire constraint and internal heat coexist, treatment should combine both "dispersing the fire" and "cooling the heat". In clinical acupuncture, for clearing heat and draining heat pathogens, acupoints on Governor vessel (督脉) and
Yangming
(阳明经) channel are commonly selected, with
Jing
-well points,
Ying
-spring points and
He
-sea points. To diffuse and dissipate fire constraint, acupoints on the
Taiyang
(太阳) and
Shaoyang
(少阳) channels are usually
chosen, with
Jing
-river points and
Ashi
points as the primary options. In terms of needle choice, for heat syndrome, filiform needles, three-edged needles, and cupping are often used for clearing heat and resolving toxins; for fire constraint syndrome, moxibustion and fire needles are employed to expel fire from the body. Regarding manipulation techniques, draining method can be used in both conditions, with heat syndrome requiring shallow needling and quick removal, while fire constraint syndrome requiring deeper and longer retention of needles, having an emphasis on hand pressure coordination and smooth
qi
flow. In clinical practice, it is essential to distinguish the presence of "constraint" and the depth of the disease location to appropriately combine "dispersing fire" and "cooling heat".
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Related Author
Ling ZHAO
Tao XU
Binyu HU
LIU Xiang
ZHANG Xudong
MI Shuqi
CHENG Lu
ZHAO Jiping
Related Institution
Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Guangdong Second Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital
Dongzhimen Hospital,Beijing University of Chinese Medicine
First Teaching Hospital,Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
College of Acupuncture and Massage,Chengdu University of TCM