丹经云∶虚病、痰病，有似邪祟。盖血气者，身之神也。神既衰乏，邪因而入，理或有之。
若夫血气两亏，痰客中焦，妨碍升降，不得运用，以致十二官各失其职，视听言动皆为虚妄，
以邪治之，其人必死。一少年人，暑月因大劳而渴，恣饮梅浆，又连得大惊三、四次，妄言妄见，
病似鬼邪，脉两手皆虚弦而沉数。予曰∶数为热，虚弦为惊，又梅酸之浆郁于中脘，补虚清热，
导去痰滞，病乃可安。遂与参、术、陈皮、茯苓、芩、连等药浓煎汤，入竹沥、姜汁，旬日未效，
聚皆尤药之不对。予脉之，知其虚未复，痰未降也，仍令前方入荆、沥服，旬日而安。
一人醉饱后妄见如祟，询之系亡兄附体，言出前事甚的。乃叔在旁叱之，曰∶非邪，食鱼腥
与酒太过，痰所为耳。灌盐汤一、二碗，吐痰一、二升，汗大作，睡一宿而安。
《灵枢》雷公曰∶人不病而卒死，何以知之？帝曰∶火气入于脏腑者，不病而卒死矣。雷公
曰∶病少愈而卒
死者，何以知之？帝曰∶赤色出于两颧，大如拇指者，病虽少愈，必卒死，黑色出于庭，大如
拇指，必不病而卒死。
卒中者，卒然不省人事，全如死尸，但气不绝，脉动如故，或脉无伦序，或乍大乍小，或
微细不绝，而心胸厥者是也。
玉机真藏篇曰∶急虚身中，卒至五脏绝闭，脉道不通，气不往来，譬如坠溺，不可为期。其
脉绝不来，若人一息五、六至，其形肉不脱，真藏虽不见，犹死也。
丹书（道教炼丹书籍）中说：虚损病和痰饮病，症状表现类似于中邪。因为血和气，是人身精神活动的物质基础。如果神气已经衰弱匮乏，外邪趁机侵入，这在道理上是可能存在的。
如果是气血两虚，痰浊停留于中焦脾胃，阻碍了气机的升降出入，导致脏腑功能无法正常运行，致使十二脏腑各自失去其正常职能，视、听、言、动等生理活动都变得虚幻妄乱，此时若用治疗邪祟的方法来处置，病人必定死亡。
有一个年轻人，在夏季因过度劳累而感到口渴，肆意饮用梅子浆，接着又接连受到三次或四次巨大的惊吓，出现胡言乱语、幻视的症状，病情看起来像被鬼怪附体，两手脉象都呈现虚弦而沉数的特点。我说：脉数主热，虚弦主惊，加上梅子酸浆郁结在中脘部位，应当采用补益虚损、清解热邪的方法，并引导排出痰滞，病才能痊愈。于是给予人参、白术、陈皮、茯苓、黄芩、黄连等药物浓煎成汤剂，加入竹沥和姜汁，十天后没有见效，大家都责怪药方不对症。我再次诊察脉象，知道他的虚损尚未恢复，痰浊尚未降下，仍然命令服用前方并加入荆芥和竹沥，十天后病情安定。
另有一人，在醉酒饱食后出现幻视，如同被邪祟附身一样，询问他说是亡故的哥哥附体，说出的事情非常确切。当时他的叔叔在旁边斥责他说：这不是邪祟，是因为吃鱼腥和饮酒太过，由痰浊引起的。灌服盐汤一到两碗，吐出痰液一到两升，大汗淋漓，睡了一夜后病情安定。
《灵枢》中雷公问：人没有明显病症却突然死亡，怎么知道原因呢？黄帝说：火气侵入脏腑的人，会在没有明显病症的情况下突然死亡。雷公问：病情刚有好转却突然死亡的，怎么知道原因呢？黄帝说：如果赤色出现在两侧颧骨处，大小如拇指，即使病情稍有好转，也必定突然死亡；黑色出现在天庭（额头中央），大小如拇指，必定在没有明显病症的情况下突然死亡。
卒中（中风）病，是指突然不省人事，全身僵硬如同死尸，但气息未断，脉搏跳动如常，或者脉搏杂乱无章，或者忽大忽小，或者微弱细软持续不断，并且伴有心胸部位厥逆冷痛的症状。
《素问·玉机真脏论》说：急骤的虚邪侵袭身体，突然导致五脏闭塞，脉道不通，气机不能往来，就像坠入深渊或溺水一样，无法预测预后。如果脉搏停止不来，或者人一呼一吸间脉搏跳动五到六次，形体肌肉没有脱陷，虽然真脏脉没有显现，但也属于死证。
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.