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P’a leng (wind illness)

P’a leng (wind illness)- China, Southeast Asia- "The individual is afraid of the cold, specifically the wind, fearing it will steal their yang energy and kill them. The individual goes out of his way to stay warm. The individual will huddle under blankets, consume food thought to boost yang energy, and try to stay out of the wind. Khyol is a similar illness in Thailand, but it thought to result from an imbalance of four elements." http://www.qondio.com/types-of-insanity-around-the-world Contributed by rainydaypaperback. Published on February 16, 2008, at 8:00 PM UTC.

Chinese origin

P'a leng, Chinese wind illness, or frigophobia is a mental illness that takes place primarily in southeast Asia. The people of this region believe that the wind will steal their soul and imbalance their ying and yang which, in return, will lead to death. They will continuously wear long sleeve shirts and jackets, long pants, head gear, and neck gear to protect themselves from the wind. This, during the summer can be damaging and dangerous. P’a leng is one of several culture bound syndromes that have specific presentations or are specific to certain regional populations. Another disorder that goes along with p’a leng is shenkui. This is the fear of losing yang. People who suffer from p’a leng believe they will lose yang if they are affected by wind. Those who suffer from shenkui do not have a fear of wind.

Symptoms

P'a Leng is a wind illness that the individual is afraid of the cold because it could steal their Yang energy and could possible die. It is thought to be caused from an imbalance of the four elements. P’a leng mainly affects men. They believe the wind is a threat to their yang. Men will eat mainly hot foods while avoiding cold foods. “This syndrome is based on the humoral theory of the dynamics of nature and human well-being, which includes a widespread Chinese belief that one's actions and natural forces can interact to upset the balance of Nature. This disorder is characterized by a morbid fear of the cold.” People are afraid of the cold and wind due to the possibility of being unbalanced and losing their yang. Traditionally, the influence of wind is heavily revered in Chinese culture. Several syndromes of wind include wind cold, wind heat, wind damp, wind water, wind rash, liver wind moving internally, excessive heat producing wind, and blood deficiency leading to wind.

Contributions to culture

The idea behind culture bound syndromes is useful due to the fact that it shows psychiatrists trained in different cultures that culture itself should be taken into account when issuing a diagnosis.

Treatment and causes of illnesses

Chinese medicine is an idea based on the qi energy coming off balance. This energy flows along the bodies’ pathways called meridians. If the qi flow along these pathways is unbalanced or blocked then illnesses can occur. Causes of qi imbalance are thought to involve: • Heat, cold (wind), and other external factors • Emotions such as joy, anger or fear, and other internal forces • How one leads their life style, such as poor diet, insomnia, or too much alcohol. Yin and yang are important to Chinese medicine because these are opposing forces. Health depends on the balance of these two forces. If the yin and yang are properly balanced, one can lead a healthy life style and can help in the prevention of illnesses. “Chinese medicine doctors look at the balance of body, mind, and spirit to determine how to restore qi, the yin-yang balance, and good health.” Coining was the most commonly used treatment for wind illness as a disease process, not just for specific symptoms like fever or dizziness. Coining (rubbing the wind- kos khyol) was done by rubbing or scratching the skin on the back, neck, upper chest, and/or arms with a coin, usually an American quarter or coining tool made from a quarter-sized coin attached to a handle. Tiger Balm, herbal liquid medicine (preng khyol), skin lotion, or water is applied to the skin before or during the coining to smooth the skin and improve the results. Although specific techniques varied slightly, rubbing was done generally done in symmetrical patterns to "rub the wind off" the person. Experience and strong arms were needed as there had to be enough pressure to leave lesions resembling superficial skin bruises. The severity of the lesions was used to diagnose and measure the severity of khyol. The redder the resulting lesions, the more severe the khyol, either mild, moderate, or severe.

Chinese medicine therapies for the treatment of illnesses

• Acupuncture • Acupressure • Chinese herbs, combinations of herbs, roots, powders, or animal substances to help restore balance in the body. • Cupping, which uses warm air in glass jars to create suction placed on areas of the body to help stimulate qi. • Diet. Yin and yang foods can help restore the yin-yang balance in the body. • Massage (tui na) on specific areas of the body or along the body's pathways. • Moxibustion • Qi gong, which uses movement, breathing techniques, and meditation.

References

-Healthwise Staff (2009). Chinese Medical Causes, Symptoms and Treatment. Retrieved from [1] -Pagon, A. (2005). Culture-bound psychotic disorders, possession states,cross-cultural current modern psychiatric assessment, and the future of current modern cultural psychiatry: a global perspective. Retrieved from [2] -Schoenbart, Bill, and Ellen Shefi. (2009). Traditional Chinese Medicine Causes of Illness. Discovery Health. Retrieved from [3] -Simons, R. C. and Hughes, C. C. (1985). The Culture-Bound Syndromes: folk illnesses of psychiatric and anthropological interest. Retrieved from [4] -Traditional Chinese Society (1998). Shenkui (Semen Loss) And Syndromes of Excessive Yin; Retrieved from [5] -Weisman, A. G. et al. (2000).Schizophrenia Bulletin. A Comparison of Psychiatric Symptoms Between Anglo-Americans and Mexican- Americans With Schizophrenia, volume 26 (issue 4). Retrieved from [6] -Nelson, J., Valparaiso University, Faculty, "Notes on Specific Disorders:(p’a leng)" Retrieved From [7] 99.36.205.180 (talk) 07:38, 21 July 2011 (UTC)

THIS REFERENCE TO A LECTURE NOTE SERIES HELPS TO DEFINE THE TERM P'A LENG AND ALSO HAS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLNESS AND IT'S EFFECT ON "YANG."

-Rainydaypaperback. 2008. Types of Insanity Around the World. Accessed July 18, 2011 from the Qondio Global:[8] -Eisenbruch M., October 1983). "Wind illness' or somatic depression? A case study in psychiatric anthropology. The British Journal Of Psychiatry: The Journal Of Mental Science [Br J Psychiatry] 1983 Oct; Vol. 143, pp. 323-6. . [9] -E. A. Graham, MD, MPH and Jip Chitnarong Date Authored: November 01, 1997 Ethnographic Study among Seattle Cambodians: Wind Illness [10] -Yin-Tang, C. (n.d). 55. Anthropological Features of the Shans and Their Geographical Environment in South-West Yunnan. Man, 44Retrieved from EBSCOhost. [11]