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A question was asked: "Among human diseases, which type is the most common?" I replied: "Fire-heat diseases are the most common. For instance, in the Nineteen Pathogenesis Mechanisms (Bing Ji Shi Jiu Tiao) of the *Neijing* (Classic of Internal Medicine), fire accounts for five items, and heat accounts for four. Every person has 3,600 hair follicles (Mao Qiao), each allowing Qi to circulate; Qi is essentially Fire. (*Neijing* states: 'When Qi is in excess, it becomes Fire.') If one contracts Wind-Cold, the hair follicles become closed, preventing Qi from venting, leading to stagnation that transforms into Fire. This is what is meant by 'when humans are injured by Cold, they develop Heat diseases.' If one contracts Summer-heat or Dryness, Summer-heat is Fire combined with Dampness, and Dryness contains Fire within it. Therefore, when humans contract the Six Excesses (Liu Yin, i.e., Wind, Cold, Summer-heat, Dampness, Dryness, and Fire), all result in Heat diseases. Furthermore, each Zang-Fu organ possesses 'Lesser Fire' (Shao Huo); Lesser Fire generates Qi, which indicates a state of health. However, if one Zang becomes dysfunctional or one Fu experiences rebellious Qi causing stagnation, Lesser Fire transforms into 'Greater Fire' (Zhuang Huo). Greater Fire consumes Qi, leading to disease. Thus, both external Six Excesses and internal Zang-Fu disorders, when deviating from normalcy, transform into Fire, giving rise to illness. Is this not proof that Fire-heat diseases are predominant?

Another question arose: "Since Fire-heat diseases are so common, why do medical texts record numerous warm-natured herbs and tonifying formulas, without specifically emphasizing cold-natured ones?" The answer is: "Greater Fire consumes Qi; prolonged exposure leads to Deficiency and Cold conditions (due to insufficient Qi). Additionally, excessive use of cold-natured medicines, innate constitutional weakness, decline of Mingmen Fire (Gate of Life Fire), internal injury from overwork and fatigue, or direct invasion of Cold pathogens into the Zang-Fu organs can occur. In such cases, warm-natured and tonifying treatments are naturally required. Various methods for treating Fire are detailed below. For initial contraction of Wind-Cold where Fire is not severely stagnant, acrid-dispersing methods are used; for those already recovered (or mild residual cases), acrid-cooling methods are used; for conditions at the Shaoyang level (Half-Exterior Half-Interior), harmonizing methods are used; for cases where exterior pathogens remain but interior symptoms are urgent, dual-release methods are used. Once exterior pathogens are completely expelled and only interior Excess-Heat remains, clearing or purging methods are employed. For Summer-heat and Dampness, clearing and draining methods are used; for Summer-heat combined with Wind, dispersing and clearing methods are used; for Damp-Heat, bitter, acrid, and bland methods are used to separate and eliminate it; for Dryness, clearing and moistening methods are used. For diseases caused by stagnant Fire in the Zang organs: Heart stagnant Fire is drained, Liver stagnant Fire is dispersed, Spleen stagnant Fire is subdued/removed, Lung stagnant Fire is scattered, and Kidney stagnant Fire is excreted. For stagnant Fire in the Fu organs, treatment follows their respective categories.

When Wind-Cold invades the human body, it first affects the skin and hair, corresponding to the Lungs. Symptoms include sneezing, aversion to wind, clear nasal discharge, burning sensation on the skin, cough, and sore throat; severe cases may present with rashes. Subsequently, the pathogen forces its way into the Cou Li (interstices). The Lungs and Stomach respond, presenting with aversion to cold, headache, fever, cough, loss of taste, and in severe cases, macules and rashes. As it gradually infiltrates the muscles, the Stomach responds, presenting with yellow tongue coating, thirst, high fever, foul breath, anorexia, bodily heaviness and stiffness, insomnia, and in severe cases, macules. When the pathogen reaches the Half-Exterior Half-Interior stage, symptoms include bitter taste, hypochondriac pain, alternating chills and fever, irritability, frequent vomiting, reluctance to eat, and in severe cases, high fever with delirium. The invasion of Wind-Cold proceeds from shallow to deep; the resulting diseases progress from mild to severe. Ultimately, it does not exceed the concept of 'Fire Stagnation.' If stagnation persists for a long time, it turns into 'Toxin.' This toxin is not like poisonous wine or snake venom; rather, it is the body's own Righteous Qi (Zheng Qi) being forced back by external pathogens, retreating step by step. It starts at the skin and hair, progressing to the Zang-Fu organs; starting as a spark, ending as a prairie fire. If the small fire is not extinguished, how can the great fire be managed? Now, I explain this in detail so that patients may seek treatment early and attain longevity and health."