The Yellow Emperor Chapter 59 - The Spiritual Pivot – The Disruption of Defensive Qi 卫气失常

This Chapter is a dialogue from the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, specifically Chapter 59 of the Spiritual Pivot section. The conversation between the Yellow Emperor and Bo Gao focuses on diagnosing and treating imbalances of defensive qi (卫气), a vital energy in Traditional Chinese Medicine. They discuss various symptoms, acupuncture points for treatment, and methods for differentiating diseases affecting different bodily tissues (skin, flesh, qi, blood, sinews, and bones). Finally, the discussion extends to classifying body types (fat, oily, fleshy) based on physical characteristics and correlating these types with qi and blood levels to guide treatment. The text emphasizes a holistic approach to diagnosis and treatment tailored to individual patient characteristics.