Considerations on Whole-Course Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment of Infectious Diseases Based on Theories of "Struggle Between Pathogenic Qi and Healthy Qi" and "Relapse Due to Overexertion After Recovery"
PAN Yishuang,TAN Xilun,WANG Xuesen,et al.Considerations on Whole-Course Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment of Infectious Diseases Based on Theories of "Struggle Between Pathogenic Qi and Healthy Qi" and "Relapse Due to Overexertion After Recovery"[J].Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2026,67(15):1677-1681.
PAN Yishuang,TAN Xilun,WANG Xuesen,et al.Considerations on Whole-Course Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment of Infectious Diseases Based on Theories of "Struggle Between Pathogenic Qi and Healthy Qi" and "Relapse Due to Overexertion After Recovery"[J].Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2026,67(15):1677-1681.DOI: 10.13288/j.11-2166/r.2026.15.017.
Infectious diseases occur and evolve through a dynamic contest between pathogenic
qi
and the body's healthy
qi
, with marked stage-dependent progression. This paper constructs a whole-cou
rse system of syndrome differentiation and treatment based on the theories of "struggle between pathogenic
qi
and healthy
qi
" and "relapse due to overexertion after recovery". The former reveals the intrinsic link between the waxing and waning of pathogenic and healthy
qi
and the evolution of syndromes, guiding stratified interventions during acute stage by discerning the location and nature of pathogenic factors and determining appropriate strategies for eliminating pathogens and supporting healthy
qi
according to the dynamics of deficiency and excess syndromes. The latter focuses on the recovery stage after infection and disease relapse, emphasizing harmonizing
yin
,
yang
,
qi
and blood to restore functions of
zang
-
fu
(脏腑) organs, and combining unblocking, tonifying, and turbidity-dispelling methods to eliminate both new and lingering pathogens. Throughout the whole-course treatment, attention should be paid to dynamic pathogenesis and stage-to-stage coherence, with emphasis on formula-syndrome correspondence, and integration of modern diagnostic and therapeutic measures, to construct individualized strategies bridging disease stages and integrating prevention with treatment, thereby systematically leveraging the integrative strengths of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.