Oriental Medicine’s treatment of Common Cold & Flu
We are in the heart of cold and flu season with most colds and flu occurring during the fall, winter and early spring. Both colds and flu are viral in nature and constantly mutating from year to year. Oriental Medicine views catching colds/flu as an interaction between immune system strength or defensive Qi verses the strength of the invading pathogen. Western medicine seeks to ameliorate symptoms with medicine or prevent the flu with a vaccine. This has varying degrees of success and of course some complications. Oriental Medicine on the other hand can successfully cut duration, severity, recurrence and often stop us from getting sick at all.
While different in symptoms and nature, colds and flu are both viral and more prevalent in the winter months. There are 3 types of flu viruses with numerous subtypes and mutations. The big flu epidemics are caused by the type A and B viruses. The type C virus is milder, isolated to respiratory symptoms and can mimick a cold. There are many subtypes of the type A virus and it also occurs in animal species including whales and seals.
On the other hand, the type B virus has fewer subtypes and only occurs in humans. Colds are less contagious, as the flu is much more readily passed through the air from person to person. We also can catch colds and flu by touching contaminated surfaces such as door knobs, grocery carts and other common surfaces. The symptoms of the flu are usually more severe than a cold. It comes on suddenly, and can be of shorter duration, although there are many aberrations of this seasonally. Symptoms of the flu often include a high fever, severe aches, and a sore throat.
As previously mentioned, the type C flu virus can often mimmick a strong cold. Colds can include many different combinations of symptoms. Some of the most common are a runny/stuffy nose, itchy sore throat, headache, cough etc. Unlike the flu, colds are caused by as many as 200 different viruses.
The most common are rhinovirus (10-40%), coronavirus (20%), and synctial virus (10%). Colds are not to be underestimated, as they are the leading cause of doctor visits, missed work and school. The average adult gets 2-3 colds a year. Winter is most predominantly the cold and flu season, starting anywhere from late August to early September going all the way through April. One of the reasons for this is that viruses thrive in the low humidity of winter. Being indoors with other people in low circulating air helps viruses to spread. Cold weather also makes the inside of our noses dryer and more susceptible to the viral invasion.
Western Medicine treats colds with medicines that reduce our symptoms. Seeking these ameliorating medicines does not allow our immune systems a chance to fully engage in fighting off the virus. Consequently, it can prolong the symptomatic period as well as how long the virus stays in our system. Getting an occasional cold or flu actually strengthens our immune system much like the right amount of exercise strengthens our muscles, heart and respiratory systems. If we are not able to fully engage our immune systems, it will make us weaker and more susceptible to the next cold or flu.
The pros and cons of the flu vaccine are something to be weighed by each individual. While effective for some, the vaccine does not always prevent the flu. On average, there is still a 20% chance of contracting the flu depending upon seasonal variance within the vaccine’s accuracy. Two other considerations are that some people can get sick from the flu shot and some react to the contents of the vaccine. Most importantly, the immune system has to rev up to fight a virus when we get sick, and this can actually have a strengthening affect. Thus getting a flu shot year after year prevents the immune system from functioning fully and thus weakens it.
Oriental Medicine seeks to strengthen our immune systems and optimize how our bodies and minds respond to colds and flu. Just like western Medicine, it views all viruses such as colds and flu as an invasion of pathogens. In our medicine, these pathogenic factors are described as wind heat or wind cold (there are other pathogenic invasions or colds/flu, but these are the main two). Just like the wind in nature, wind denotes a quick appearance and fluctuating nature and severity of symptoms. Heat describes a cold or flu that has heat in it. Some symptoms that wind heat create are feeling hot with fever, a sore throat, a throbbing headache etc. The term “cold” describes cold symptoms like chills, fatigue , clear mucous buildup in the nose etc. From here Oriental Medicine goes a step further and says getting sick is largely dependent on the strength of our defensive Qi or wei Qi. Some examples of things that influence our defensive Qi are stress, working/working out too hard, and poor sleep/eating habits. Any imbalance here can make us more
susceptible to getting sick.
Another key factor that really differentiates our cold or flu from someone else’s are the internal strengths and weaknesses of our constitution. All of us have areas, meridians and organ systems with excesses (strengths) or deficiencies (weaknesses). Our constitutional strengths and weaknesses influences if we will get sick and how it will play out in our individual bodies. This is one of the reasons why two people can have the same cold or flu, but the severity of symptoms and type of symptoms can vary so much. The beauty of Oriental Medicine is that it considers all of this. It is then able to individualize treatment and consequently influence not only how long we are sick, but if we get sick at all.
When a patient comes in for treatment with a cold or flu, I consider their constitution, recent lifestyle and specific symptoms in order to formulate an individualized diagnosis and treatment plan.
Treatment often includes moxibustion. This is a very special method of heating the herb “mugwort” or “moxa” on the skin. Usually, this is done on the upper back with colds and flu. Moxibustion lifts our immunity up and strengthens our wei Qi. It also fortifies the red and white blood cell counts so that we can more effectively fight off the viruses or pathogens involved. The warmth from moxibustion is very soothing and we can often feel our bodies begin to fight a little harder. A treatment also includes acupuncture on the specific meridians affected by the cold/flu. The lung, large intestine and bladder meridians are our first line of defense, thus treatment is often focused here when we have a cold or the flu. I also apply special essential oil blends to further open up the meridians and help the body expel the pathogens and heal. A treatment for colds or flu would not be complete without herbal remedies specifically formulated for the patient’s current needs. These formulas have an ability to help clear the virus and symptoms as well as strengthen our immune systems. With this powerful arsenal, Oriental Medicine is able to treat each patient individually to clear the pathogen, strengthen your immune system and help you to keep from getting sick the next time you are exposed.
One thing you can do on your own to ward of colds and flu is to wear a scarf when exposed to cold drafty weather. The upper back and neck are seen as critical areas for immunity. The bladder meridian runs down the back and contains powerful points that influence each organ –particularly the yang, Qi, and energy of that organ. The upper back is the lung area of the bladder meridian, so keeping this warm and protected helps prevent colds and flu from entering the lung complex. Interestingly, the base of our skull contains some of the areas of the brain that control basic body functions and it also influences immunity. The following are ther preventative things we can do:
1) Get out of sweaty cloths after a
workout
2) Try not to touch your face after touching commonly used objects such
as door knobs and especially when traveling.
3) Eat and drink water regularly
4) Watch our intake of sugars which can drop our immunity substantially
for a few hours after consumption
5) Work on stress levels and poor sleep with things like
acupuncture
6) Wash our hands regularly.
If you do start to feel sick, a simple remedy (especially in the first 24 hours) is warm miso soup with a few slices of fresh ginger root and scallions. Have a cup or two of this and then cover yourself with a warm blanket. This can promote a slight sweat which can help push out the pathogen especially at the beginning of a cold.
Let’s face it –colds and flu are a common and often all too regular experience. Fortunately, with acupuncture, moxa, herbs and Oriental Medicine, we can not only prevent them, but also cut down on their occurrence, duration and in the long run be stronger, healthier and more productive.
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