Pulmonary Abscess

Acute infection of the lung with fever, cough, chest pain, smelly-large amount of phlegm coughed up with possible blood.

Four stages:

1. Primary Stage – external pathogen invasion (wind heat or wind cold turns to wind heat)

2. Secondary Stage - Abscess forming stage, accumulation of phlegm heat in lung (stagnation and heat)

3. Third Stage- Bursting stage – lots of phlegm (pus)

4. Fourth Stage - Recovery stage – deficiency of Qi and yin of lung.

Differentiate: Lung Abscess, Phlegm/Fluid retention

Chinese Medicine Differentiaion and Treatment

Lung Abscess Acute, pain, phlegm with significant odour Phlegm Retention - Slow, chronic with little or no odour. Lung Abscess has to have HEAT AND STAGNATION.

4 STAGES

First Stage (primarily wind heat) One area on chest is painful, sticky phlegm

Principle of Treatment:: expel wind heat and promote lung function

Herbal Medicine Formula: Ying Chao San

Second Stage (Forming stage) afternoon high fever, cough, hypochondriac pain (where abscess is forming) breathing difficult due to pain, thick -pusy -phlegm with odour, irritable, thirst. Tongue - yellow, greasy Pulse - slippery, rapid

Principle of Treatment:: Clear heat, detoxify, promote lung function and relieve stagnation

Herbal Medicine Formula: Qian Jin Wei Jin Tang

Third Stage (Bursting Stage) 3 layer phlegm large amount of pusy phlegm with strong-intense odour, thirst, dysphoria Tongue - yellow, greasy Pulse - slippery, rapid

Principle of Treatment:: Clear heat, detoxify, dissolve stagnation and discharge pus.

Herbal Medicine Formula: Qian Jin Wei Jin Tang, Jia We Jie Geng Tang

Fourth Stage (Recovery) Slight fever, cough and phlegm reduce, deficiency signs (tidal fever, night sweat) Pulse - Thin, rapid

Principle of Treatment:: Nourish lung Qi and yin, expel rest of pathogen

Herbal Medicine Formula: Sha Shen Yang Fei Tang