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Cold arises internally due to Kidney Deficiency (Shen Xu); when Kidney Qi is deficient, Yang escapes, and Yuan Qi (Primal Qi) becomes difficult to restrain. One must know that the "Earth Door" (Yin orifice of the Kidney, referring to the lower orifices such as the urethra and anus) should remain closed frequently; incontinence leads inevitably to death. The term "Ze" (Reproach/Blame) refers to blaming the deficiency of Kidney Water and the dysfunction of its orifices. Thus, it is understood that the two Kidneys are the caverns of innate Fire and Water. The thickness or thinness of Yuan Qi is distinguished here; the longevity or premature death of the physical body is judged by this. Those who are good at preservation ensure that Ministerial Fire (Xiang Huo) does not move recklessly, Yuan Qi is not damaged, and is preserved within, allowing the dynamics of Heaven and Earth to ceaseless, connecting with Stomach Qi—what illness would there be? (Wang Xushan said: True Qi is precisely the Primal Yin and Primal Yang Qi within the Kidney. When Ministerial Fire moves, True Qi leaks; when Ministerial Fire remains still, True Qi rests quietly within, generating endless transformations; the root of life lies here.) Those who are not good at preservation suffer from excessive labor and sexual indulgence, causing Yuan Qi to leak, Ministerial Fire to run rampant, pathogenic factors to go unchecked, and thus hundreds of diseases arise. Furthermore, when Kidney Deficiency occurs, cold arises internally. If diarrhea results from the escape of True Yang, this indicates the failure of the gates to hold. If the pulse remains, there is life; if the pulse vanishes, there is death. Medication should employ severe tonification at the Lower Jiao (Lower Burner); delay will make it impossible to rescue the situation. The Classics state: "If heat therapy fails to produce warmth, it is because there is no Fire." "If food is ingested but vomited back up, it is also because there is no Fire"; both cases require warming. If warming fails to cure, death will come swiftly. (Another version states: "There are cases where warming fails to cure, but there are none that can cure without warming.")

Prolonged use increases Qi, which is a long-standing principle; slow treatment achieves harmony, which is the constant of transformation. The Spleen and Stomach are connected; one must distinguish Grain Qi. If medicine has an excessive bias, it is not considered good. The Classics state: "Prolonged use increases Qi, which is the norm of transformation; prolonged increase of Qi is the cause of premature death." This refers to the flavors and properties of medicines and the urgency or slowness of treatment, depending on the physician's regulation and adjustment. Generally, the pure, clear, and harmonious Qi in the Stomach is compatible with grains, meats, fruits, and vegetables; even herbs like Ginseng (Renshen) and Atractylodes Macrocephala Baizhu have biased properties. This is a maxim of the sages; one ought to treat according to the urgency or slowness of the disease accordingly. Diseases have new and old stages. New diseases have urgent patterns and should be treated with heavy doses; old diseases have mild patterns and should be regulated with light doses. For all internal and external injuries, once pathogenic factors have retreated, medication should be taken intermittently, and nourishment should be adjusted through diet, embodying the intent of slowness and urgency. If medication is overused, it damages Qi instead, causing the illness to linger and not heal, or potentially leading to new diseases. Physicians must understand this, so as to avoid the harm of "making the deficient more deficient." (Zhang Dongfu said: This clause is the most important method for treating diseases,)