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The treatment principle is primarily based on warming and dispersing. If one suddenly suffers from the cold qi of heaven and earth, or ingests raw and cold substances orally, and it is an external contraction without internal injury, the methods of Zhang Zhongjing should be employed. If there is a concomitant internal injury, Buzhong Yiqi Tang (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction) with dispersing herbs should be used, but Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Renshen, 人参) must first be used to support the healthy qi. For middle-cold resulting in extreme deficiency of stomach qi, the method should be warming and dispersing using Lizhong Tang (Regulate the Middle Decoction), with Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Fuzi, 附子) added for severe cases. Middle-cold is contracted hastily; the disease manifests immediately and violently. This is because persons with middle-cold have loose cou li (pores and interstitial spaces), allowing pathogens to invade the whole body, making it difficult to distinguish which meridian is affected. There is no heat to disperse; warming and tonifying will lead to resolution. This represents a great deficiency of stomach qi. If not treated urgently, death is near. Dai Yun stated: This refers to patients who suffer from the austere and killing cold qi externally and ingest ice water, melons, fruits, and other cold substances internally. Their pulse must be deep and fine, hands and feet cold, breath weak, and body fatigued. Even if there is fever, there is no thirst, and they are lethargic with little desire to speak. If this method is mistakenly applied to heat diseases, mild cases become severe, and severe cases result in death. Any patient with a rapid pulse, those who drink water, or those who are restless and agitated all have heat diseases. Cold and heat syndromes are like water and fire; they cannot be treated identically. Misdiagnosis leads to death; students must be cautious. One might ask: Since contracting pathogens implies an excess condition, why use tonification? The Nei Jing states: Where pathogenic factors gather, healthy qi must be deficient. Internal injuries are very common, while external contractions occur occasionally. Mild conditions such as colds should not be mistaken for Shanghan (Cold Damage) and treated recklessly. Shanghan disease requires exposure to cold qi and ingestion of cold substances. Treatment must be based on modifications of Buzhong Yiqi Tang (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction) with the addition of dispersing herbs. For Shanghan with concomitant internal injury (as seen in *Yiyao*), regardless of the nature of the external contraction, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Renshen, 人参) must first be used to anchor the healthy qi, followed by dispersing herbs. Mild conditions like colds should not be diagnosed as Shanghan and treated arbitrarily. The northwest regions are extremely cold and austere, hence external injuries are frequent; the southeast regions are mild, hence external injuries are rare, occurring only once or twice in a thousand cases. Miscellaneous diseases present symptoms seen in the six meridians, causing confusion among the lay public. Many conditions resemble Shanghan but are actually miscellaneous diseases; details are found in *Nei Jing: Re Lun* (Treatise on Heat). Since Zhang Zhongjing (Changsha), various schools have elaborated on these. Among those after a millennium, Li Dongyuan's words capture the essence most accurately. He stated that internal injuries are very common, while external contractions are occasional. This insight reveals what predecessors had not yet expounded. To differentiate pulses of internal versus external injury, Li Dongyuan provided detailed explanations. Later generations, following popular misconceptions and failing to see clearly, mistakenly attribute these to external injuries, which is a grave error. The viable aspects of their approach likely stem from their restraint, using mostly harmonizing or mild-pacifying herbs to dissipate pathogens. Carelessness can be fatal; this must be strictly avoided!