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Diet is intended to nourish life, but excess damages the Spleen and Stomach; if it reaches an extreme, it becomes a cause of harming life. Why? The disease of Phlegm-Fire (Tan Huo) begins with the depletion of Kidney Water (Shui He) and injury to Lung Metal (Jin Shang). Once Lung Metal is injured, Liver Wood (Mu) lacks restraint, making it rare for it not to invade Spleen Earth (Pi). Because Spleen Earth is attacked by Liver Wood, its mechanism of transportation and transformation naturally slows down. If one fails to regulate diet, the body suffers repeated injuries. Mild cases manifest as belching with a putrid odor and acid regurgitation; severe cases present with epigastric fullness and pain. When the diseased state worsens, treatment becomes difficult. Generally, attacking accumulation harms healthy Qi, warming the Middle Jiao stirs Fire, and excessive use of digestive agents damages the Spleen. Are these three methods appropriate? Moreover, humans rely on the Qi of food and drink for nourishment. When Spleen Earth is attacked by Liver Wood, it cannot transport and transform fine essences to send them up to the Lung for distribution to the Five Zang organs, thereby nourishing the entire body. Consequently, the physique diminishes daily, muscles waste away. Even if such a person can eat and drink, it is merely eating, offering no benefit. This is a critical pass in regulation and preservation; how can one not be cautious!

I believe that individuals suffering from Fire diseases with injured Lung Metal are like those living in dilapidated houses and narrow alleys. Without strategies to avoid or shelter, how can they withstand sudden violent winds and heavy rains? The Lung governs the skin and hair (Mao Li) and controls the opening and closing of the Cou Li (interstices). When Lung Metal is attacked by Fire, the authority of defensive protection and consolidation is lost, making it easy for the Six Excesses (Liu Yin) pathogenic factors to invade. In mild cases, pathogens enter the skin, manifesting only as sneezing, rhinorrhea, sputum, and cough. As long as the body surface remains warm, the Cou Li are open and unobstructed, and the True Qi is not disturbed, the condition may dissipate spontaneously. In severe cases, pathogens enter the meridians, presenting with headache, fever, body ache, and stiffness of the spine. If sweating therapy is not applied immediately, pathogens will penetrate inward, transforming into symptoms such as tidal fever, abnormal sweating, urinary retention and dysuria, abdominal fullness, and thirst. For a emaciated body and faint Qi, allowing such rampant pathogenic activity leads to deficiency compounding deficiency, which is akin to a executioner's hammer hastening death. One must be cautious.

Qi flows through the throat to produce sound; emotions arise from the Heart to produce speech. Thus it is said: Sound is the resonance of the Lung; Speech is the voice of the Heart. Furthermore, in Fire diseases, due to Kidney Water deficiency and Fire scorching Lung Metal, the source of generation and transformation is damaged. The Mother (Lung/Metal) becoming deficient causes the Child (Kidney/Water) to become deficient, leading to further depletion of Water and intensification of Fire, further injuring the Lung and exacerbating the dryness of Metal. The therapeutic method should be to nourish Yin and descend Fire to benefit Metal. Excessive talking and rapid speech damage the Lung orifices, causing cough and hoarseness. Speaking involves more exhalation than inhalation, leading to irregular breathing, which causes the Qi of the Five Zang organs to deviate from their normal rhythm. It is said, "The Lung desires fullness; first regulate the breath." This is precisely what is meant. How can speech be excessive?