Common Cold and TCM’s Approach

Chinese Medicine views the common cold as an invasion of Wind. There are two basic types of colds: Wind Cold and Wind Heat.

Wind Cold

General symptoms:

• fever

• chills (these are worse than the fever)

• inability to get warm

• nasal or sinus congestion with clear mucus

• cough with clear mucus

• stiff neck and shoulders

• occipital headache  (back of the head)

An effective remedy is Miso soup with the white part of spring onion and fresh ginger. This brings on a mild sweat and warms the interior of the body.

Wind Heat

General symptoms:

• the fever is worse than the chills

• swollen and sore throat with headache and irritability

• If there is a cough, it is usually dry or nonproductive, with occasional expectoration of yellow mucus.

Treatments

Acupuncture and Moxibustion can provide some immediate relief from cold symptoms and help the body expel the pathogen much faster. Acupuncture points along the lung and large intestine meridians are often used as they activate the immune function in the body. 

Cupping and Gua Sha are techniques used to draw the pathogen back out to the surface of the body releasing cold from the muscle layer. This is especially good when one has sore tight muscles.

Treatment Strategies

Numerous formulas are available in Chinese Medicine to treat the many variations of these conditions.

Along with herbal remedies, adequate rest, good nutrition in the form of soups and fresh juices, avoid sweets and stimulants (such as caffeinated beverages as they can aggravate the condition.