II. The Pathogenesis: Deficiency as the Root, Excess as the Manifestation

II. The Pathogenesis: Deficiency as the Root, Excess as the Manifestation

Professor Pei believes that the primary site of leukemia lesions is the bone marrow, involving the five internal organs. Heat-toxins serve as the fundamental pathological products of the disease, often accompanied by blood stasis. The pathogenesis is characterized by deficiency as the root and excess as the manifestation, with both deficiency and excess intermingled; the disease progresses through a process of conflict between evil and righteous qi, with fluctuating patterns of increase and decrease. Heat-toxins damage the meridians, causing blood to fail to flow along its pathways, leading to bleeding; when heat-toxins become deeply embedded in the bone marrow, they cause bone marrow heat to surge, resulting in persistent high fever; when heat-toxins flow and coalesce with blood stasis, it leads to joint and bone pain; when heat-toxins invade the internal organs and accumulate in the flank area, the qi of the internal organs becomes stagnant, leading to qi stagnation and blood stasis, manifesting as masses or enlargement of the liver and spleen; heat-toxins also transform fluids into phlegm, forming phlegm nodules; when heat-toxins reside deep within the bone marrow, they consume and destroy essence and blood, leading to anemia and deficiency. The symptoms of this disease are complex; it is not a purely real or purely deficient condition, but rather often presents as a combination of deficiency and excess, where the evil prevails while the righteous are weakened. Thus, the pathogenesis is rooted in deficiency, while excess serves as the manifestation. The progression of the disease depends on the balance between evil and righteous qi—whether the evil dominates or the righteous prevail—and the outcome of the disease is determined by the relative strength of these forces. While current research focuses on viral theories and cell apoptosis theories, the former emphasizes the concept of “evil,” whereas the latter encompasses the idea of “righteousness.”

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