Traditional Chinese Medicine’s (TCM) Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine have been used for centuries to treat a wide range of ailments. When treating colds and flu in TCM, alongside addressing your specific symptoms, we also focus on boosting your immune system to promote faster recovery.
Understanding Colds and Flu in TCM
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, both common colds and flu are seen as external invasions of pathogenic factors such as “wind,” “cold,” or “heat.” These factors disturb your body’s internal balance, particularly the flow of “Qi”. Qi is the body’s vital energy. The surface of the body is protected by “Defensive Qi “and wind can temporarily disperse this protective layer.
Your response to these external pathogen invasions reflects the strength of your protective qi. If your qi is strong, your cold symptoms will be intense but short lived as your body is able to put up a good fight to quickly get rid of the pathogen. However, if your qi is weak, although your cold symptoms may be milder, the pathogen could stay longer in your system, or potentially travel deeper into your body. Even with good qi, a strong pathogen, such as those seen in flu epidemics, can penetrate to deeper levels.
Your cold and flu symptoms dictate the type of treatment we use. For example, a “wind-cold” invasion is characterized by symptoms such as sneezing, chills, body aches, a lack of sweating, and a blocked or runny nose with clear white mucus. Alternatively, “wind-heat” invasions have symptoms such as fever, sore throat, thirst, cough, and nasal congestion with thick yellow mucus. Identifying the nature of your pathogenic invasion is key to choosing the correct treatment.
Acupuncture and herbal medicine for Colds and Flu
Both acupuncture and herbal medicine can be used to treat colds and flu either as independent treatments, or better still, combined to enhance the effects of each other. These treatments strengthen your immune response, alleviate your symptoms and help your body expel the invading pathogen.
Key Acupuncture Points
1. LI4 (Hegu): Located on your hand, this point is commonly used to treat conditions related to the face, including headaches and nasal congestion, which are frequent symptoms of colds and flu. It also helps to disperse wind and relieve pain.
2. LU7 (Lieque): This point on your wrist is important for treating respiratory issues such as coughing, sore throat, and nasal congestion. It strengthens the lungs, the organ most vulnerable to wind invasions in TCM.
3. GV14 (Dazhui): Located at the base of your neck, this point is used to reduce fever and clear heat from your body.
4. ST36 (Zusanli): Located just below your knee, this point is often used to strengthen overall immune function and boost qi, helping your body fight off infections more effectively.
Chinese Herbal Medicine for Colds and Flu
Specific formulas are tailored to your symptoms and constitution. For example:
“Yin Qiao San”: This formula is commonly used for treating wind-heat invasions, especially if you have a sore throat and fever.
“Ma Huang Tang”: Often used for wind-cold invasions, this formula helps relieve chills, body aches, and nasal congestion. It is used if you are not sweating. However, if you are sweating a little, “Gui Zhi Tang” would be prescribed instead.
Benefits of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine
Compared to conventional medication such as antibiotics and over-the-counter cold remedies, acupuncture and herbal medicine have minimal side-effects; instead, they focus on treating the root cause of your illness rather than just trying to mask your symptoms. TCM treatment shortens the duration of your illness and prevents other complications such as lingering coughs or sinus infections.
At the Jade Centre we see many patients each year to help them to manage their health. Contact us now and book an appointment to get the support you need,
