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The Yellow Emperor asked: Why does a woman who is pregnant lose her voice in the ninth month? Qibo replied: This is because the collateral vessels of the uterus are obstructed. The Yellow Emperor asked: Why do you say so?

Qibo said: The collateral vessels of the uterus are connected to the Kidney. The Foot-Shaoyin Kidney Meridian passes through the Kidney and connects with the root of the tongue; therefore, it results in the inability to speak. The Yellow Emperor asked: How should this be treated? Qibo said: No treatment is needed; it will recover naturally after the tenth month (delivery). The *Ci Fa* (Methods of Acupuncture) states: Do not damage what is insufficient, nor benefit what is excessive, lest you create a chronic disease (*zhen*), and only then attempt to regulate it. To "not damage what is insufficient" means that for those who are emaciated and weak, one should not use stone lancets or other aggressive therapies; to "not benefit what is excessive" means that if there is a palpable mass in the abdomen and one mistakenly uses purgation, purgation will deplete the essence, leaving the pathogen dominant within, thus creating a chronic disease.

"Heaviness of the body" refers to pregnancy; "yin" refers to loss of voice; "obstruction of the collateral vessels of the uterus" means that the qi and blood flow in the vessels are blocked, not severed. This occurs because the large fetus compresses the uterine collaterals, preventing the qi of the Foot-Shaoyin Kidney Meridian from ascending to the tongue, resulting in aphonia. After delivery in the tenth month, when the vessel qi becomes unblocked, it will heal spontaneously without treatment. If forced treatment is applied, it will instead damage the already insufficient healthy qi and exacerbate the excess pathogenic factor, thereby forming a chronic disease. A chronic disease (*zhen*) refers to an entrenched illness that is difficult to cure. However, since this condition is caused by the size of the fetus, there is no specific treatment required.

The Yellow Emperor asked: Why does the Lung cause coughing? Qibo replied: All five zang organs and six fu organs can cause coughing, not just the Lung. The skin and hair are the exterior correspondence of the Lung. When the skin and hair are first attacked by pathogenic factors, the pathogens follow the correspondence to enter the Lung. If cold food and drink enter the Stomach, the cold travels up along the Lung meridian to the Lung, causing Lung cold. When the Lung is cold, external and internal pathogens combine and lodge within, resulting in Lung cough. Each of the five zang organs contracts disease in its respective season; if it is not their season, pathogens from other organs may transmit to the Lung. Humans correspond to Heaven and Earth; thus, each zang organ contracts disease in its governing season upon exposure to cold. Mild cases manifest as cough, while severe cases manifest as diarrhea or pain.

In Autumn, the Lung is first to contract the pathogen; in Spring, the Liver; in Summer, the Heart; during the late summer (the earth element), the Spleen; and in Winter, the Kidney. The Lung acts as the canopy, receiving all meridians, and governs the qi of the whole body. Therefore, the qi of all zang and fu organs converges in the Lung via the meridians and circulates throughout the body. The reason why all five zang and six fu organs can cause coughing is that the pathogens they contract follow the qi mechanism and return to the Lung. Since the skin and hair are the exterior correspondence of the Lung, pathogens attacking them first enter the Lung. Cold food entering the Stomach also reaches the Lung via the meridians, causing Lung cold. Combined with external pathogens lodging in the Lung, this results in Lung cough. Humans live within the intersection of heaven and earth qi, corresponding to nature. The five zang organs inherit the qi of the Five Phases to govern the five seasons, contracting external pathogens in their respective seasons. Even if it is not the season governed by the Lung, pathogens contracted by other organs will transmit to the Lung following the qi movement. For example, mild cold contraction leads to cough, while severe cases lead to diarrhea and abdominal pain. Metal of the Lung governs Autumn, Wood of the Liver governs Spring, Fire of the Heart governs Summer, Earth of the Spleen is the ultimate yin governing the sixth month of late summer, and Water of the Kidney governs Winter. Each contracts pathogens first in its season. Pathogens change in myriad ways but can all transmit to the Lung causing cough. Therefore, treating cough requires examining whether the pathogen is cold or hot, and whether the qi is deficient or excess, strictly determining the etiology. The following text clarifies the symptoms of these conditions.