All about the Common Cold and Flu: Symptoms and Treatments

Well it seems that fall has officially arrived, bringing with it some cold, windy weather.  In western medicine, common colds & flus are caused by viruses and are treated preventatively with a yearly vaccine or using anti-viral medication. In the world of Traditional Chinese Medicine, we instead look to the changing seasons as the cause. As the weather transitions from hot to cold, the body becomes more vulnerable to the invasion of external “pathogens”, including wind, heat, cold, dampness & dryness.  Wind is the “carrier pathogen” and is always present in common cold conditions. When it invades your body it can lead to symptoms including chills, fever, head and body aches, runny & congested nose and a cough.  Further symptoms are dependent on whether it is heat or cold that the wind brings into the body along with it.

Wind-Cold Common Cold

This pattern is the result of wind and cold invading the body. This can be caused by either the body’s defensive Qi (energy) being weak, which allows the wind & cold “pathogens” to easily enter the body, or from excessively strong pathogens that force their way in. We would expect that the majority of wind-cold type common cold would occur during the fall or winter due to the lower temperature, but artificial sources of cold such as air conditioning, draughts or refrigerated storage rooms can also lead to the pattern, even during the warmer months. The primary cold symptoms seen in this pattern are chills being stronger than fever, nasal congestion with thin, clear discharge, an itchy throat and an absence of both thirst and sweating. Your Chinese medicine practitioner or acupuncturist will also verify these reported symptoms by looking at your tongue and feeling your pulse. With a wind-cold pattern, the tongue does not overly change, except for the likely presence of a thin white coating. The primary indication felt in the pulse would be being able to feel it at a superficial level, because it starts by invading the exterior level of the body.

Wind-Heat Common Cold

Similarly to wind-cold, wind-heat is a result of wind and heat invading the body. The causes are also the same, but it is important to know that central heating and other artificial sources of heat can be a cause. This means that it is also possible to contract wind-heat at any time of year. The most common symptoms seen in a wind-heat pattern are fever being stronger than chills, sore throat, nasal congestion with thick yellow discharge, strong thirst and sweating. The tongue and pulse are comparable to wind-heat, which makes it important to differentiate the other symptoms which are more definite. The only possible change in the pulse would be a rapid rate. It is also important to note that if a common cold is left untreated for an extended period of time, the pathogens can travel deeper into the body and cause heat in the lungs. These heat symptoms are much more pronounced than wind-heat symptoms, with a productive cough with yellow sputum, chest aches and breathlessness, stronger thirst and a very rapid pulse.  

Treating Common Cold & Flu Symptoms with Cupping & Gua Sha

Cupping & Gua Sha are both great Chinese medicine treatment options to help expel exterior pathogens such as wind, cold and heat at an early stage. Exterior pathogens invade the body through your pores, meaning that they lodge themselves between your skin and muscle layer initially. If cupping or Gua Sha can be done within the first few days of the common cold being contracted, they can help open the pores and physically force the pathogens out of the body. They are also very beneficial because wind, cold and heat tend to cause muscles to become sore and achy and lead to headaches, so physically releasing tension and increasing blood flow will help relieve pain and tension that accompanies the common cold. 

Treating the Common Cold & Flu with Acupuncture

The acupuncture treatments are comparable for both wind-cold and wind-heat common colds. Some of the points may differ but the majority are found around the neck, on the face or down the arms to the hands. The lung channel is located on the arm and is very important with expelling wind, cold & heat pathogens. The large intestine channel travels from the hand up to the nose, so points along that channel can be used to open up any blocked sinuses. Finally the gallbladder channel travels along the sides of the head to the base of your skull and tops of your shoulders, which is where tension tends to manifest. Using a combination of local needles, in the areas of pain & congestion, as well as needles along the channel will help unblock and regulate any imbalances found in these channels, which in turn will help relieve the common cold symptoms.

Treating the Common Cold & Flu with Chinese Herbs

There is a wide variety of Chinese herbal formulas available to treat both wind-cold and wind-heat symptoms. This is important because it allows you to focus in on the most prominent symptoms and help the patient get better faster. For example, some Chinese herbal formulas are more focused on a strong cough, whereas others may focus on relieving nasal congestion. In both those examples, similar herbs would be used but extra herbs would be added to each, depending on the main focus. Formulas are also separated based on the specific pathogens involved. For example, in the case of wind-heat common cold, herbs that are more cooling in nature would be used, such as honeysuckle, peppermint and bamboo leaf. Comparatively, the herbs used in a wind-cold formula would be more warming in nature, including cinnamon and fresh ginger. In both cases, the sooner you start taking the formula, the better because you want to stop the pathogens from traveling deeper into the body and causing further imbalances.