Do you, or someone you care about, suffering from the following symptoms?
- propensity to take risks and be angry
- hypomanic and manic behaviors
- laughing a lot, talking a lot
- mouth and/ or gum ulcers
- bleeding without apparent causes
- anxiety, mental agitation, obsessive thoughts
- insomnia, no desire to go to sleep at night
- abdominal pain
- intense thirst, bitter taste
- scanty and/or dark urines
- constipation, dry stools
In Chinese medicine, the signs and symptoms above point towards a diagnosis of Internal Fire. As is the case in nature, there is a difference between a diagnosis of Internal Heat and Internal Fire; which are two different diagnosis in Chinese medicine.
In brief, Internal Fire dries out fluids more than Heat does. Symptoms of extreme insatiable thirst, dark and/or scanty urines, dry stools and/or constipation are tell tell signs of Internal Fire. Fire tends to move upwards more than Internal Heat does. Ulcers of the mouth and gums, headaches, red eyes and face also point towards a diagnosis of Internal Fire. Psycho-emotional disorders which are excessive in nature also point out towards this diagnosis. Since Internal Fire is an extreme form of Internal Heat, it will, if left unquenched, create more havoc in one’s health than Internal Heat. In order to have long-lasting effects, detox, diet, and lifestyle changes often have to be incorporated into one’s treatment plan.
On a psycho-emotional level, fire affects and agitates the Mind more than Heat. In such a case, the person will be very impatient, easily angered and restless even while sleeping. Disturbing and violent dreams are often present, leaving the person feeling like he or she didn’t sleep. The excessive impulsivity of a manic or hypomanic phase is a perfect example of Internal Fire affecting the Mind.