what to treat?

[Guest guest]

I understood Jim to mean that one should treat only pathology that can

be rationally justified. I don't think he is suggesting that we treat

only the most obvious patterns. And I agree with this statement. To

return to an example used earlier, let's consider the use of yin tonics

to offset steroid use. Can we assume the yin is damaged in all patients

using steroids? What if many signs point to dampness and phlegm being

prominent, thus contraindicating the use of yin tonics, at least

initially. This stands in contrast to some recommendations I have seen

to treat all steroid patients with high dose yin tonics. So treatment

still needs to be rational. Admittedly, I have found that chronic heat

alone is sometimes enough to justify some use of yin tonics, even in the

absence of pronounced signs like nightsweats, etc. So perhaps we need

to consider subtle aspects of pattern development. Personally, I do not

use a lot of yin tonics as my primary treament strategy in damp, mushy

and cold Portland, OR, though I have heard that these are called for

more often in southern Cal and colorado.