The Common Cold
In the United States, the Common cold accounts for more visits to the doctor than any other condition. While not life-threatening in healthy patients, it can still be a cause for concern. Therefore, I feel obligated to talk about the treatments of the Common cold with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
The common symptoms of Common cold include runny nose, congestion, sneezing, weakened senses of taste and smell, scratchy throat, cough, headache, or even fever. Conventional Western medicine treatments of colds may include acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, any other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), decongestant, antihistamine, or their combinations. The Common cold may last for about one week, although some colds can last longer, especially in children, the elderly, and those in poor health.
In China, there are over two thousand years of experience fighting with the Common cold in TCM. The famous book “Shanghan Lun (The Treatise on Febrile Diseases)” was written over two thousand years ago and focused on the Common cold and Flu. Armed with this knowledge, TCM has proven effective in treating the Common cold.
Chinese medicine finds its basis in that the Common cold has two main types: wind-heat cold and damp-heat cold. When the patient has a severe fever, discomfort caused by wind, headache, sweating, throat swelling and pain, coughing, sticky or yellow phlegm, stuffy nose, yellow mucus, thirsty, red tongue, thin white and yellowish coating, then the patient has a wind-heat cold. Wind-heat is more common in spring and is caused by wind-heat. In terms of treatment, Chinese medicine practitioners use acupuncture, Chinese herbs and cupping to relieve the exterior and clear the lung of heat. This line of treatment has proven effective for this diagnosis.
When the patient has fever, discomfort caused by the wind, a little sweating, arms and legs ache, dizziness, headache, cough phlegm, nasal congestion, throat swelling and pain, the coating of tongue is yellow greasy, it is damp-heat cold. The treatment of damp-heat cold requires clearing away heat and removing dampness.
For individuals who are prone to catching a cold, that is, people who are elderly, weak, or healing from the disease are most likely to catch a cold repeatedly, or symptoms linger after a cold. That is a deficiency of Qi. The symptoms of Common cold brought on by a deficiency of Qi are chills, fever or low fever, nasal congestion and runny nose, headache, sweating, fatigue, shortness of breath, cough with phlegm, white tongue with thin whitish coating, and weak pulse. The treatment method is to replenish qi and relieve the exterior symptoms.
People with Yin deficiency suffer from Common cold, this leads to a slight aversion to cold, a little sweating, body heat, warm hands and feet, dizziness and upset, dry mouth, dry cough with a little phlegm, red tongue with a little coating, thready rapid pulse. The treatment method is to nourish yin and relieve the exterior symptoms.
If you are suffering from the Common cold, you can contact us at 816-842-6868 and schedule an appointment for Chinese medicine treatment!
Cathay’s Clinic