Unexpected! Mental illness can also be treated in summer for a winter disease.

Recently, the traditional Chinese medicine department of major hospitals in Hangzhou is busy with “treating winter diseases in summer”. In fact, mental and psychological illnesses can also be treated in this way. Mental and psychological illnesses are often chronic, fluctuating, or episodic conditions, and Chinese medicine can achieve the effect of preventing diseases by regulating the body constitution. The “Huangdi Neijing” states: “The four seasons correspond to yin and yang, the foundation of all things. Therefore, wise individuals nourish yang in spring and summer, and nourish yin in autumn and winter,” summarizing the treatment concept of “treating winter diseases in summer, and treating summer diseases in winter”. According to the Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment model of distinguishing the body, distinguishing the disease, and identifying the syndrome (referred to as the “Three Distinguishing Diagnosis and Treatment Model”), Director Liu Yi of the Zhejiang University Chinese Medicine Center proposed the concept of treating mental and psychological illnesses in Chinese medicine as “treating the disease during the acute phase and adjusting the body during the recovery phase”, “treating the disease promptly and adjusting the body appropriately”, and “disease as the target, constitution as the foundation”. The aggravation and recurrence of mental and psychological illnesses are significantly related to the individual’s body constitution in Chinese medicine. Only by adjusting the imbalanced constitution to a balanced state can mental and psychological illnesses be effectively prevented from worsening and recurring. Research shows a clear correlation between insomnia, hypersomnia, anxiety disorders, depression, schizophrenia, and deficient yang constitution. During the autumn and winter seasons and humid weather, these conditions are likely to worsen or recur. “Treating winter diseases in summer” takes advantage of the most vigorous yang energy in summer to regulate the deficient yang constitution of patients through Chinese medicine techniques to achieve the effect of preventing diseases. Zhejiang University Chinese Medicine Center offers techniques such as the combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of sleep disorders, acupuncture and massage services, providing treatments like “San Fu Yao”, “San Fu Zhen”, and a combination of acupuncture and herbal medicine to supplement and strengthen yang energy, balance yin and yang, address the fundamental constitutional problems of insomnia, hypersomnia, anxiety disorders, depression, and schizophrenia, enhance the patients’ constitution, improve immune function, prevent disease aggravation, and avoid disease recurrence. Suitable Candidates: Individuals with deficient yang constitution (sensitive to cold, cold hands and feet), insomnia, hypersomnia, anxiety disorders, depression, schizophrenia with characteristics of worsening or recurring during autumn and winter seasons and humid weather. Restricted Candidates: Individuals with hot patterns such as excess heat patterns, damp-heat patterns, excessive yin deficiency patterns, characterized by fever, intolerance to cold, preference for heat, liking for cold drinks, redness and heat in the face and ears, significant sweats, night sweats, dry mouth, dry tongue, swollen and painful gums, sore throat, heat in the hands and feet, redness, swelling, and heat in the joints. Treating these individuals with “winter diseases in summer” would be like adding fuel to the fire. Special Candidates: 1. Infants are considered “pure yang bodies” with the physiological characteristic of “excessive yang and deficient yin” making them prone to yang transforming to heat when sick, resulting in symptoms indicative of excessive yang, hence infants are not suitable for this treatment. 2. The use of warming and dispersing medicines typically associated with “treating winter diseases in summer” may lead to miscarriage or premature birth, therefore pregnant women should avoid such treatments. Please indicate the source when reposting.