Treating sweating disease in children from the perspective of "moving the pivot and eliminating the turbidity"

Sweating disease in children is not merely a disorder of the striae and interstitial spaces, but rather a local manifestation of systemic qi movement and orifice dysfunction. The spleen pertains to the central soil and serves as the pivot of the qi movement. In children, the spleen is often insufficient. The spleen governs transportation and transformation, preferring dryness to dampness while avoiding dampness. When the transportation and transformation functions of the spleen fail, the water-dampness accumulates, leading to stagnation of the pivot mechanism. Consequently, pathological turbidity, such as damp-heat, retention of food, and latent fire, is generated internally. These pathogenic factors congest the orifices, force the fluid outward and eventually result in a sweating disorder. Based on the theory of "treat it with lan and eliminate turbidity" from the Treatise on Strange Diseases of Plain Questions, our research team proposes that aromatic Chinese medicinals can "invigorate the spleen to eliminate dampness and activate the pivot mechanism." The basic therapeutic method was established as moving the pivot and eliminating the turbidity resolving dampness with aromatics, moving the pivot to stop sweating. In clinical practice, treatment is tailored based on pattern differentiation. For the pattern of spleen deficiency due to dampness stagnancy, treatment focuses on moving the pivot and eliminating the turbidity, resolving dampness with aromatics. For the pattern of dyspepsia, treatment focuses on moving the pivot and eliminating the turbidity, promoting digestion and removing food stagnation. For the pattern of phlegm-heat attacking internally, the treatment focuses on moving the pivot and eliminating the turbidity, clearing heat, and dissipating phlegm. For disharmony between the nutrient qi and the defensive qi, the treatment focuses on moving the pivot and eliminating the turbidity, harmonizing ying fen and wei fen. These approaches aim to restore movement of the pivot mechanism and ensure free flow of the orifices, leading to spontaneous cessation of sweating. This study systematically elaborates the key points of applying the theory of "moving the pivot and eliminating the turbidity" in the treatment of sweating disease in children, aiming to provide a new approach to clinical pattern differentiation and treatment.