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Daoist alchemical texts state: Deficiency diseases and phlegm diseases may resemble possession by evil spirits. This is because blood and qi are the spiritual essence of the body. If the spirit (Shen) has already become depleted, it is theoretically possible for pathogenic factors to enter accordingly.

In cases where both blood and qi are deficient, with phlegm lodging in the middle jiao (middle burner), obstructing the ascending and descending movements, preventing normal physiological functions, leading to the twelve zang-fu organs each losing their duties, resulting in vision, hearing, speech, and movement becoming illusory and delusional; if treated as an evil possession, the patient will certainly die.

A young man, after excessive labor in summer, felt thirsty and indulged in plum syrup. Subsequently, he suffered three or four major frights, leading to rambling speech and visual hallucinations. The illness appeared similar to ghostly possession. His pulses in both hands were deficiency-wiry and deep-rapid. I said: A rapid pulse indicates heat; a deficiency-wiry pulse indicates fright. Furthermore, the sour plum syrup is stagnating in the Zhongwan area. Treatment should tonify deficiency, clear heat, and guide out the phlegm stagnation for the disease to be resolved. Therefore, I prescribed a decoction of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Renshen), Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (Baizhu), Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (Chenpi), Poria (Fuling), Scutellariae Radix (Huangqin), and Coptidis Rhizoma (Huanglian), concentrated and boiled into a soup, adding Bamboo Sap (Zhuli) and Ginger Juice (Jiangzhi). After ten days, there was no effect, and everyone blamed the prescription as incorrect. I palpated his pulse again and knew that his deficiency had not yet recovered and the phlegm had not yet descended. I ordered him to continue the previous prescription with the addition of Schizonepetae Spica (Jingshe) and Bamboo Sap. After another ten days, he stabilized.

Another person, after drunkenness and overeating, experienced visual hallucinations as if possessed. Upon inquiry, he claimed it was his deceased elder brother possessing him, speaking of past events very accurately. His uncle, standing nearby, rebuked him, saying: "This is not an evil spirit; it is caused by phlegm due to excessive consumption of fishy foods and alcohol." He was forced to drink one or two bowls of salt water, vomiting one or two sheng (approx. 0.5-1 liter) of phlegm. Profuse sweating occurred, and after sleeping for one night, he stabilized.

In *Ling Shu* (Spiritual Pivot), Lei Gong asked: How can we know why a person dies suddenly without apparent illness? The Yellow Emperor replied: Those whose fire qi enters the zang-fu organs will die suddenly without prior illness. Lei Gong asked: How can we know why a person dies suddenly when the illness has just slightly improved? The Yellow Emperor replied: If red color appears on both cheekbones, the size of a thumb, even if the illness seems to improve slightly, sudden death is certain. If black color appears on the forehead (Ting), the size of a thumb, sudden death will occur without apparent illness.

Stroke (Zhong Feng) refers to the sudden loss of consciousness, the body being rigid like a corpse, but breath remaining unbroken, with the pulse beating normally, or the pulse being chaotic, or fluctuating between large and small, or remaining minute and fine continuously, accompanied by cold reversal in the chest and heart region.

The *Yu Ji Zhen Zang Pian* (Chapter on Jade Machine and True Visceral Pulse) states: When sudden deficiency-cold strikes the body, causing the five zang organs to close abruptly, the pulse channels becoming blocked, and qi ceasing to circulate, it is like falling into an abyss or drowning, making prognosis impossible. If the pulse stops completely, or if the pulse beats five to six times per respiration cycle, and although the flesh and muscles have not wasted away and the true visceral pulse has not yet manifested, it is still a fatal condition.