寒者热之。热者寒之。微者逆之。甚者从之。坚者削之。客者除之。劳者温之。结者散之。留者攻之。燥者濡之。
急者缓之。散者收之。损者益之。逸者行之。惊者平之。
诸法以寒治热。以热治寒攻散补平。皆易知之。惟微者逆之甚者从之。此理极其微妙。盖微者如小贼。可以扑灭。
甚者如巨盗。巢穴深固。非诱之不为功。西医如治热证。则以冰压胸。此热者寒之之正法也。然热之微者。可以立除。
如热之甚者。反逼激其热。使内伏入心而死。香港疫症。如此治死者多矣。皆不知甚者从之也。比如被火伤甚重。则忌
用冷水浇。恐火毒伏心而死也。然则逆从之法。可不讲耶。
逆者正治。从者反治。热因寒用。寒因热用。塞因塞用。通因通用。其始则同其终则异可使破积。可使溃坚可使气
和可使必已。
逆者以寒治热。以热治寒。故为正治。从者热病从热。寒病从寒。故为反治又言反治之理。热药因寒而得其用。寒
药因热而得其用。即所谓反佐之治也。塞因塞用。如满逆不下从而吐越之。通因通用。如泻痢不止。从而润降之。其始
则与。病从同。所以诱之其终则与病各异所以敌之。也变幻莫测。故可破坚积。以期其必愈。
病在下。取之上。病在上。取之下。病在中。旁取之。
此又言治病不可逐末。当求其源委所在如小便大便不利。病在下也。然多是心肺传移之病。故当取之。上头目耳喉
间。病在上也。然多是肝肾之邪上犯。故当取之下。病在中。属脾胃。然多是少阳厥阴之邪所犯。故宜旁取之。
治法之详。当求各书。然能洞明内经大义。则各书治法。其理已具。西医言治多执着。故鲜神妙。
Cold conditions are treated with heat. Heat conditions are treated with cold. Minor conditions are treated by opposing them (Zheng Zhi, standard treatment). Severe conditions are treated by following them (Fan Zhi, reverse treatment). Solid accumulations are reduced. Exogenous pathogens are expelled. Debility from overwork is warmed. Stagnation is dispersed. Retention is attacked. Dryness is moistened.
Spasm is relaxed. Scattering is consolidated. Deficiency is tonified. Idleness/stagnation is moved. Fright is calmed.
All these methods—treating heat with cold, cold with heat, attacking, dispersing, tonifying, and calming—are easily understood. Only the principle of "minor conditions are opposed, severe conditions are followed" is extremely subtle. Generally, minor pathogenic factors are like small thieves, which can be extinguished directly. Severe pathogenic factors are like great robbers, with deep and solid nests; unless they are lured out, success cannot be achieved. Western medicine, when treating heat syndromes, often presses ice on the chest. This is the orthodox method of "treating heat with cold." However, for minor heat, it can be eliminated immediately. But for severe heat, forcing it down with ice may instead provoke the heat, driving it inward to invade the Heart and cause death. Many died in the epidemic diseases in Hong Kong due to such treatments, because they did not understand "severe conditions are followed." For example, if one suffers severe burns, one must avoid pouring cold water on them, fearing that the fire toxin will penetrate into the Heart and cause death. Therefore, must we not study the methods of opposition and following?
Opposition refers to Standard Treatment (Zheng Zhi); Following refers to Reverse Treatment (Fan Zhi). Treating heat by using cold agents (in a specific context), treating cold by using heat agents, treating obstruction with obstructive methods, treating discharge with purgative methods. At first they seem similar, but at the end they differ; thus, they can break up accumulations, dissolve hardness, harmonize Qi, and ensure recovery.
Opposition means treating heat with cold and cold with heat, hence it is called Standard Treatment. Following means allowing heat syndromes to follow their apparent heat nature and cold syndromes to follow their apparent cold nature, hence it is called Reverse Treatment. This further explains the logic of reverse treatment: Hot herbs achieve their effect when used in conjunction with cold (or in heat syndromes appropriately), and cold herbs achieve their effect when used in conjunction with heat (or in cold syndromes appropriately); this is what is known as Counter-adjuvant Treatment (Fan Zuo). "Treating obstruction with obstructive methods," for instance, in cases of fullness and rebellious Qi failing to descend, one follows the trend by inducing vomiting to vent the Qi. "Treating discharge with purgative methods," for instance, in cases of persistent diarrhea or dysentery, one follows the trend by using moistening and descending methods. At first, they align with the disease's manifestation to lure it; ultimately, they differ from the disease to combat it. Their changes are unpredictable, thus they can break hard accumulations, aiming for certain cure.
For diseases located below, treat from above. For diseases located above, treat from below. For diseases located in the middle, treat from the sides.
This further states that treating disease should not focus merely on the symptoms (the branches) but should seek the root cause. For example, difficulty in urination or defecation is a disease located below, but it is often caused by transmission from the Lung and Heart; therefore, one should treat from above, such as points around the head, eyes, ears, and throat. Diseases located above are often caused by evil qi from the Liver and Kidney invading upward; therefore, one should treat from below. Diseases located in the middle belong to the Spleen and Stomach, but are often invaded by evil qi from the Shaoyang and Jueyin channels; therefore, one should treat from the sides.
Detailed descriptions of treatment methods should be sought in various medical texts. However, if one thoroughly understands the major principles of the *Huangdi Neijing* (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), then the principles of treatment in all other texts are already contained within. Western medicine tends to be rigid in its approach to treatment, and thus rarely achieves miraculous results.