Lingering pathogen syndrome in Traditional Chinese Medicine

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In my practice. I’ve had patients come to me with ongoing symptoms from an illness they experienced years prior. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this syndrome is termed “Gu zheng,” and though it directly translates as “possession syndrome,” a better translation now is “lingering pathogen syndrome.” There are several examples of lingering pathogens, including Lyme disease, malaria, candidiasis, human papillomavirus (HPV), shingles, herpes, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but there…