• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.265-272
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• 2012

The applicability of Diabetes Mellitus(DM) in Oriental Medicine might be placed under the category in Wasting-thirst(消渴, WT). However, because of WT having so various concepts, classification, and names in Oriental Medicine, this resulted in confusion in applying WT treatment to DM. WT occurs mainly due to dryness-heat(燥熱) which by depleting 'Fluid and Humor'(津液) makes symptoms of thirst(口渴) swift digestion with rapid hungering(消穀善饑) frequent urination(小便頻數) according to the "Internal Classic"(內經). WT was also called Sodan(消癉), Bidan(脾癉), or Sojoong(消中) in the "Internal Classic", which was caused by not only the disorder of 'five viscera' (五臟), but also the failure of 'three yin and three yang'(三陰三陽). However, the doctors of those days had a tendency to manage WT (including DM) with herbal drugs of dryness-heat or with drugs that recover the pancreas and the kidney, that have a tendency to appreciate that WT is the disease of 'five viscera'(五臟). Accoding to the "Internal Classic"(內經) and "Jinguiyaolue"(金匱要略), WT was appreciated that WT is also due to the disorder of Meridian including 'three yin and three yang'(三陰三陽) theory. Disorder of 'yang brightness'(陽明) or 'reverting yin'(厥陰) would cause Wasting-thirst(消渴), so the 'three yin and three yang'(三陰三陽) theory should be considered in WT treatments. Furthermore, 'yang brightness'(陽明) and 'reverting yin'(厥陰) all belong to 'the door'(闔) in the bolt-door-pivot(關闔樞) theory, and the mean of 'the door'(闔) is the function of storage, so we could understood WT is the wasting disease due to the disorder of 'the door'(闔) system in Meridian. WT should also be understood by the point of the bolt-door-pivot(關闔樞) theory in addition to the 'three yin and three yang'(三陰三陽) theory.