Infections

In Western medicine, an infection is understood as the invasion and proliferation of pathogens—be it bacterial, viral, fungal, yeast, or other microorganisms—that can instigate a range of symptoms, including fever and localized issues depending on the infection site (Spellberg et al., Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2008). Diagnostic approaches may range from symptom-based evaluation to more sophisticated blood work or imaging tests for severe cases (Schappert et al., National Health Care Surveys, 2011). Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), on the other hand, categorizes pathogens using terms such as wind, dampness, summer-heat, cold, dryness, phlegm, and heat-fire, aligning the characteristics of pathogens with observed environmental factors (Ni et al., Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences, 2014). Both systems offer unique perspectives on understanding and diagnosing infections, grounded in microbiology and holistic environmental observation.