Cases: Extremely Cold and Hot Sweating

Last Monday a woman around age 70 came for extremely cold and hot sweating over the entire body. She has this problem for weeks. She could not do anything. Everything makes her sweat a lot even just sitting. The only thing that could help her is lying down with completely quiet. Her sleep also became worse at the same time. But her sleep has got a lot better with sleeping pill helping. She has high blood pressure, diabetes but all these are under control. her urine and bowel movement are normal. She does not have any other symptoms associated with sweating and do not know how it started. Her tongue is red pale with thin coating, pulse is relaxed and weak.

She was given an acupuncture treatment and cupping for the first treatment. When she came for a second visit 2 days later, she has already got a lot better. Same acupuncture treatment and Chinese herbs were given for 5 days this time and she did not come again.

This should be spontaneous sweating in TCM which is caused by disharmony of defense qi and nutrient qi. According TCM theory, there are Defense qi and Nutrient qi in the body surface. Defense qi moves inside the vessels and protect the body surface and warding off external pathogens. Nutrient qi moves within the vessels and nourishes all the organs and tissues. When Defense qi is yangqi and nutrinent qi is yin fluid. When yangqi evaporates yin fluid, then sweat occurs. Yangqi also control yin fluid moving within the vessels. When there is no sufficient Yangqi so that cannot control yin fluid moving inside the vessels or when Yangqi and Yin fluid cannot work together properly, excessive sweating comes. She also has a shaoyang disease which caused feel hot and cold. There are some formula that have already been used for thousand years and still very effective for treating this condition.