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At the initial stage of fever, measles resembles Taiyang disease (a syndrome caused by pathogenic factors invading the Taiyang meridian). However, patients with measles present with redness of the cheeks, coughing and sneezing, clear nasal discharge, tearing eyes, yawning and drowsiness, or vomiting and diarrhea, or rubbing the eyebrows and eyes with hands accompanied by facial redness. The appearance of these signs confirms the diagnosis of measles. At this time, one should carefully avoid wind and cold, and abstain from meat and strong-flavored foods.

Ancient methods used Shengma Gegen Tang (Cimicifugae Rhizoma and Puerariae Radix Decoction) to disperse toxic pathogens. My formulated Touxie Jian (Decoction for Expelling Pathogens) serves as a superior substitute, while Chaiyin Yin (Bupleurum and Angelica Drink) is also excellent. As long as the skin remains unobstructed and Couli (the interstices of the skin and hair follicles) are open, the measles toxin will be easily expelled. One must not treat it as Taiyang disease and recklessly apply sweating or purging methods.

Reckless sweating increases heat and may lead to epistaxis (nosebleed), hemoptysis (coughing up blood), mouth sores and sore throat, red and swollen eyes, irritability, dry thirst, and obstruction of urination and defecation. Reckless purging causes interior deficiency, leading to incontinence or dysentery. The Classics state: "One must first consider the seasonal qi and not damage the harmony of heaven and humanity," referring to the prohibition of reckless sweating and purging.

During the initial fever of measles, when symptoms are ambiguous, medication should never be administered lightly. Even if other syndromes are present, one must wait until the fifth day when rashes appear below the cheeks before using exterior-releasing agents.

If there is frequent coughing, continuous sneezing, clear nasal discharge, or epistaxis, along with reduced appetite and a preference for cold water, only dietary regulation is appropriate, avoiding meat and wheat products.

When measles fever begins but the rash has not yet erupted, if the patient coughs incessantly (over a hundred times), suffers from rapid breathing and swollen eyelids, and alternates between lying down and sitting up, this indicates internal steaming of fire-toxin causing the lungs to become scorched and elevated. This should be treated with Ganjie Tang (Licorice and Platycodon Decoction) combined with Baihu Tang (White Tiger Decoction), added with Niubangzi (Arctii Fructus) and Bohe (Menthae Haplocalycis Herba).

If during the eruption phase the patient experiences cough, dry mouth, and irritability, this indicates the toxin is located in the Heart and Lungs and has not fully erupted. This should be treated with Xiebai San (Draining White Powder), added with Tianhuafen (Trichosanthis Radix), Lianqiao (Forsythiae Fructus), Yuanshen (Scrophulariae Radix), and Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma).

When the rash is about to erupt but has not yet appeared, early dispersing treatment is advisable to scatter the toxin and prevent future complications. If the toxin is not preemptively resolved and fully expelled, it tends to accumulate within, potentially leading to high fever, chronic emaciation, convulsions and epilepsy, diarrhea and dysentery, hemoptysis and wheezing, or death from gan erosion (nutritional deficiency ulcers). Although this is an infection by Liqi (pestilential qi), it invariably results from inadequate human management.