Summer Heat belongs to Yang and is a pathogenic factor which appears mostly from late summer to early autumn. Summer Heat diseases occur when the body cannot adapt to hot weather. Summer Heat possesses the following characteristics:
| (1) | Summer Heat belongs to Yang and is hot in nature. The diseases have Yang signs: high fever, thirst for cold drinks, a flushed complexion, dysphoria, and a full strong pulse. | |
| (2) | Summer Heat belongs to Yang and is rising and dispersing. When Summer Heat: | |
| • | affects the head, it causes dysphoria, dizziness, and (rarely) loss of consciousness; | |
| • | disperses Body Fluid with excessive sweat, Qi becomes deficient with the following symptoms: thirst, scant dark urine, shortness of breath, and fatigue. | |
| (3) | Summer Heat is often accompanied by Damp, because the heat retains water vapor. In its most severe cases, Summer Heat with fever and thirst, there are also Damp symptoms: limb tiredness, chest oppression, vomiting, diarrhea, and sticky stools. | |
