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There are many people who die suddenly in the world, and their causes are not uniform. Among them, those who can be saved account for seven or eight tenths; those who cannot be saved account for only two or three tenths. It is merely that good physicians are unavailable at the critical moment, so they all die in vain. If a person has no internal or external disease, and eats, drinks, moves, and acts as usual, yet dies suddenly, it means their Zang-Fu organs (Zang-Fu organs) and meridians (meridians) originally had no site of pathology. They suddenly contracted exogenous pathogens (exogenous pathogens), such as malignant wind (malignant wind), foul air (foul air), demonic influences (demonic influences), or toxic plagues (toxic plagues). These closed the pathways against cold qi (cold qi), causing an immediate inability to circulate. Consequently, the Great Qi (Great Qi) was obstructed and cut off, leading to dizziness, confusion, and stupor. Over time, if the obstruction did not resolve, the qi would accumulate and block further, similar to having a rope tied around the neck; once the qi ceases, death ensues. If a physician can identify the specific cause of this contraction and treat it according to the method—unblocking the qi and driving out the pathogen—immediate recovery will occur. There are also cases where sudden death occurs due to phlegm-saliva (phlegm-saliva) accumulation blocking and obstructing the airway; restoring the flow of qi and descending the phlegm will lead to revival, which is what is referred to as Phlegm Jue (Phlegm Jue - syncope due to phlegm). All the aforementioned conditions can be treated by competent physicians; however, syndromes of Zang organ exhaustion (Zang organ exhaustion) are untreatable. Such individuals may have exhausted their essence and spirit through mental labor and overthinking, immoderate alcohol consumption, excessive sexual desire, or frequent anger. Within the five Zang organs, essence is depleted and spirit is weakened. Only a thread of True Yuan (True Yuan) remains unbroken, allowing them to move and act normally. However, upon occasional contact with stimuli, their Original Qi (Original Qi) may suddenly sever, leading to the escape of qi and separation of spirit, resulting in death within moments. This is the most urgent form of sudden death and is untreatable. As for encountering spirits or ghosts suddenly, or meeting with retribution from grievances, these are bizarre matters and do not fall under the category of diseases.

When a person contracts pathogens, there must be a site of reception, and factors that invite them will cause corresponding pathogens to arrive. If a person's spirit and mind are solid and complete, exogenous pathogens dare not invade; only when the capacity to defend against them is deficient will invading pathogens gather. In cases where illness appears to be possessed by spirits or ghosts: the ignorant believe that spirits and ghosts truly harm people; the rational believe that since the clinical presentation is as described, there are no spirits or ghosts. Both views are incorrect. Spirits and ghosts are merely like the pathogens of wind, cold, summer-heat, and dampness (wind, cold, summer-heat, and dampness). When Wei Qi (Wei Qi - defensive qi) is deficient, one contracts cold; when Ying Qi (Ying Qi - nutritive qi) is deficient, one contracts heat; when Shen Qi (Shen Qi - spirit qi) is deficient, one is affected by ghosts. Generally, human spirit belongs to Yang (Yang); when Yang declines, ghosts attach themselves. The *Nei Jing* (Inner Canon) states that when the five Zang organs are diseased, ghosts of five colors manifest. The *Nan Jing* (Classic of Difficult Issues) says: "Those who lose Yang see ghosts." Therefore, among the acupoints (acupoints), there are points named Guichuang (Ghost Bed) and Guishi (Ghost Chamber). These acupoints rely on the fullness of Shen Qi to function properly. If Shen Qi is deficient, spirits and ghosts can attach themselves, just as wind and cold can harm the body. Thus, treating cold involves strengthening Yang; treating heat involves nourishing Yin; treating ghost-related issues involves replenishing Shen. If the cause is phlegm, overthinking, or fright, one should seek the root cause and treat accordingly. Therefore, rational individuals must investigate the cause of every matter to remain free of doubt and well-founded; otherwise, adhering to a one-sided view while being ignorant of the reality of principles constitutes ignorance. Additionally, illnesses caused by offending spirits and ghosts can be cured through prayer. Regarding ghosts of grievance, there are several categories: those arising from self-inflicted calamities and irreconcilable deep hatreds; those stemming from ancestral burdens; and those resulting from accidental harm to others. These events are verifiable, though Confucian scholars may not discuss them. Nevertheless, they appear in historical classics, such as Gongzi Pengsheng and Boyou, and there are many witnesses. Such cases cannot be avoided by medicine or prayer alone.