In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), wind is considered one of the six pathogenic factors. When wind is combined with heat or cold, it can manifest as either wind-cold or wind-heat, which can be differentiated through pulse patterns and tongue coating.
Wind-cold pulse pattern: The pulse is floating and tight, meaning it can be felt lightly but is weak when pressed deeply, and the skin feels very tight. This is due to the constricting effect of cold, resulting in a tense overall pulse.
Tongue coating: Patients with wind-cold syndrome experience an invasion of cold, presenting with a pale white tongue and a thin coating.
Wind-heat pulse pattern: The pulse is often floating and rapid, characterized by a light touch that reveals a quick pulse rate.
Tongue coating: Patients with wind-heat often feel the effects of heat or internal heat generation, presenting with a red tongue and a thin coating; in severe cases, a yellow tongue coating may appear.
In summary: The pulse pattern associated with wind is typically a floating pulse.
Case Study by Dr. Wei:
A 4-year-old male patient. Consulted on December 19, 1994. Symptoms included fever (39.2°C), cough, abdominal pain, halitosis, and cold toes. The pulse was floating, slippery, and rapid, with signs of heat and stagnation, while the deep pulse was weak and cold. He was given 0.6g of Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) and Fu Zi (Aconitum carmichaelii), and three minutes later, he began to sweat, the abdominal pain ceased, and the redness and heat in the cheeks and ears diminished. That night, he did not have a fever, but at midnight, he felt restless and hot, with a rapid pulse on the left and still stagnation on the right, and his toes remained cold. The original prescription of Dan Shen was halved, and 0.2g of Shi Gao (Gypsum) was added; after taking it, all symptoms resolved.