In this 3 podcast about the 8 principles I will discuss the principles excess and deficiency. The 8 principles are used in Chinese medicine to make a diagnosis. The Identification of Patterns according to the Eight Principles is the foundation for all the other methods of pattern formulation. It is the basic groundwork of pattern identification in Chinese medicine, allowing the practitioner to identify the location and nature of the disharmony, as well as establish the principle of treatment. In the part, I provide a general introduction and cover the next two parameters: excess and deficiency. A Full condition is characterized by the presence of a pathogenic factor (which may be interior or exterior) of any kind and by the fact that the body's Qi is relatively intact. It therefore battles against the pathogenic factor and this results in the rather plethoric character of the symptoms and signs. Therefore ‘Fullness’ denotes fullness of a pathogenic factor not fullness of Qi.An Empty condition is characterized by weakness of the body's Qi and the absence of a pathogenic factor.
