Psoriasis · Damp-Heat Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 7 min

Body Area: Skin

Pattern Overview

Damp-Heat is a pattern in psoriasis, characterized by pustular or exudative psoriasis, neutrophil infiltration, elevated IL-8, pustule formation, exudation, and erythema. The core pathogenesis is accumulation of Damp-Heat in the skin, causing pustule formation, exudation, and neutrophilic inflammation.

Key Symptoms and Differentiation Points

| Differentiation Dimension | Manifestations |

Restless Leg Syndrome · Blood Stasis Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 7 min

Body Area: Leg

Pattern Overview

Blood Stasis is a common pattern in restless leg syndrome, characterized by vascular insufficiency, restless legs, sharp pain, and aggravation at night. The core pathogenesis is stagnation of blood in the leg collaterals, leading to reduced perfusion, ischemic neuropathy, and restless sensations.

Key Symptoms and Differentiation Points

| Differentiation Dimension | Manifestations |

Restless Leg Syndrome · Damp-Heat Bi Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 7 min

Body Area: Leg

Pattern Overview

Damp-Heat Bi is an inflammatory pattern in restless leg syndrome, characterized by heavy restless legs, swelling, burning sensation, and aggravation with heat. The core pathogenesis is accumulation of Damp-Heat in the leg meridians, causing inflammation, neuronal sensitization, and restless sensations.

Key Symptoms and Differentiation Points

| Differentiation Dimension | Manifestations |

Restless Leg Syndrome · Liver-Kidney Deficiency Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 7 min

Body Area: Leg

Pattern Overview

Liver-Kidney Deficiency is a chronic degenerative pattern in restless leg syndrome, characterized by neurodegenerative component, restlessness, weakness, and aggravation with overwork. The core pathogenesis is insufficient nourishment of the tendons by Liver Blood and Kidney Essence, leading to neurodegenerative changes and restless sensations.

Key Symptoms and Differentiation Points

| Differentiation Dimension | Manifestations |

Restless Leg Syndrome · Qi-Blood Deficiency Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 7 min

Body Area: Leg

Pattern Overview

Qi-Blood Deficiency is a common pattern in restless leg syndrome (RLS), characterized by restless legs at night, fatigue, pale complexion, and poor sleep. The core pathogenesis is insufficient Qi and Blood to nourish the leg tendons, leading to neuronal hyperexcitability, restless sensations, and involuntary leg movements.

Rib Pain · Blood Stasis Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 6 min

Body Area: Chest

Pattern Overview

Blood Stasis is a common pattern in rib pain, characterized by fracture or traumatic pain, sharp fixed pain, and aggravation at night. The core pathogenesis is trauma causing stagnation of blood in the rib collaterals, leading to severe pain, swelling, and impaired healing.

Key Symptoms and Differentiation Points

| Differentiation Dimension | Manifestations |

Rib Pain · Liver Qi Stagnation Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 6 min

Body Area: Chest

Pattern Overview

Liver Qi Stagnation is the most common pattern in rib pain, characterized by intercostal neuralgia, distending pain, worsening with stress, chest tightness, and frequent sighing. The core pathogenesis is emotional stress causing Liver Qi stagnation, which obstructs the meridians in the rib area, leading to distending pain and chest tightness.

Rib Pain · Liver-Gallbladder Damp-Heat Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 6 min

Body Area: Chest

Pattern Overview

Liver-Gallbladder Damp-Heat is a pattern in rib pain, characterized by cholecystitis-related pain, burning pain, bitter taste, and irritability. The core pathogenesis is accumulation of Damp-Heat in the Liver and Gallbladder meridians, causing biliary inflammation, increased pressure, and referred pain to the right rib area.

Key Symptoms and Differentiation Points

| Differentiation Dimension | Manifestations |

Rib Pain · Qi-Blood Deficiency Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 6 min

Body Area: Chest

Pattern Overview

Qi-Blood Deficiency is a chronic pattern in rib pain, characterized by chronic costochondritis, dull ache, weakness, and fatigue. The core pathogenesis is insufficient Qi and Blood to nourish the chest and rib area, leading to chronic costochondritis, weakness, and impaired healing.

Key Symptoms and Differentiation Points

| Differentiation Dimension | Manifestations |

Rosacea · Heat-Toxin Trapping the Skin Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 7 min

Body Area: Face/Skin

Pattern Overview

Heat-Toxin Trapping the Skin is a severe pattern in rosacea, characterized by inflammatory cytokine storm, papules, pustules, severe erythema, and TLR2/NF-κB pathway overactivation. The core pathogenesis is accumulation of Heat-Toxin in the skin, causing severe inflammation, pustule formation, and facial lesion development.

Key Symptoms and Differentiation Points

| Differentiation Dimension | Manifestations |

Rosacea · Lung-Stomach Heat Excess Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 7 min

Body Area: Face/Skin

Pattern Overview

Lung-Stomach Heat Excess is the most common pattern in rosacea, characterized by facial vasomotor dysfunction with inflammation, LL-37 overexpression, MMP-9 activation, facial erythema, papules, and pustules. The core pathogenesis is Heat in the Lung and Stomach channels ascending to the face, causing facial vasodilation, inflammation, and lesion formation.

Rosacea · Qi Stagnation with Blood Stasis Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 7 min

Body Area: Face/Skin

Pattern Overview

Qi Stagnation with Blood Stasis is a chronic pattern in rosacea, characterized by fibrotic tissue hyperplasia in the rhinophyma stage, VEGF elevation, vascular proliferation, and collagen deposition. The core pathogenesis is Qi stagnation and Blood stasis in the facial collaterals, leading to vascular proliferation, fibrosis, and nasal deformity.

Rosacea · Yin Deficiency with Internal Heat Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 7 min

Body Area: Face/Skin

Pattern Overview

Yin Deficiency with Internal Heat is a chronic pattern in rosacea, characterized by chronic inflammation post-skin barrier damage, TRPV1 channel abnormal activation, neurovascular hyperreactivity, and flushing triggered by mild stimuli. The core pathogenesis is Yin deficiency failing to control Yang, leading to internal Heat, neurovascular hyperreactivity, and flushing.

Sacroiliac Joint Pain · Damp-Heat Bi Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 6 min

Body Area: Lower Back

Pattern Overview

Damp-Heat Bi is an inflammatory pattern in sacroiliac joint pain, characterized by inflammatory sacroiliitis, burning pain, swelling, and redness. The core pathogenesis is accumulation of Damp-Heat in the sacroiliac region, causing acute inflammation, joint edema, and severe pain.

Key Symptoms and Differentiation Points

| Differentiation Dimension | Manifestations |

Sacroiliac Joint Pain · Kidney Yang Deficiency Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 6 min

Body Area: Lower Back

Pattern Overview

Kidney Yang Deficiency is a chronic cold-type pattern in sacroiliac joint pain, characterized by chronic cold-type SI pain, cold pain, weakness, and frequent urination. The core pathogenesis is insufficient Kidney Yang failing to warm the sacroiliac region, leading to chronic cold pain, ligament laxity, and joint instability.

Sacroiliac Joint Pain · Qi Stagnation with Blood Stasis Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 6 min

Body Area: Lower Back

Pattern Overview

Qi Stagnation with Blood Stasis is a common pattern in sacroiliac joint pain, characterized by traumatic SI joint pain, sharp fixed pain, and aggravation at night. The core pathogenesis is trauma causing Qi stagnation and Blood stasis in the sacroiliac region, leading to ligament injury, pain, and impaired healing.

Sacroiliac Joint Pain · Wind-Cold-Damp Bi Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 6 min

Body Area: Lower Back

Pattern Overview

Wind-Cold-Damp Bi is a common pattern in sacroiliac joint pain, characterized by joint inflammation, cold pain, stiffness, and aggravation in cold weather. The core pathogenesis is invasion of Wind-Cold-Damp pathogens into the sacroiliac region, causing obstruction of Qi and Blood flow, synovitis, and joint stiffness.

Sciatica · Damp-Heat Bi Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 7 min

Body Area: Leg

Pattern Overview

Damp-Heat Bi is an inflammatory pattern in sciatica, characterized by burning pain, redness, swelling, and aggravation with heat. The core pathogenesis is accumulation of Damp-Heat in the leg meridians, causing inflammatory radiculopathy, nerve root edema, and severe burning pain.

Key Symptoms and Differentiation Points

| Differentiation Dimension | Manifestations |

Sciatica · Kidney Yang Deficiency Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 7 min

Body Area: Leg

Pattern Overview

Kidney Yang Deficiency is a severe deficiency pattern in sciatica, characterized by chronic cold-type sciatica, cold pain, weakness, frequent urination, and cold intolerance. The core pathogenesis is insufficient Kidney Yang failing to warm the lumbar spine and sciatic nerve, leading to chronic cold pain, weakness, and impaired nerve repair.

Sciatica · Liver-Kidney Deficiency Pattern

Updated: June 23, 2026

Reviewed by: Dr. Li Wei, DACM

Reading Time: 7 min

Body Area: Leg

Pattern Overview

Liver-Kidney Deficiency is a chronic degenerative pattern in sciatica, characterized by degenerative spine-related pain, chronic ache, weakness, and aggravation with overwork. The core pathogenesis is insufficient nourishment of the lumbar spine and sciatic nerve by Liver Blood and Kidney Essence, leading to degenerative changes, chronic nerve compression, and persistent pain.