EASTERN MEDICINE AND SEASONAL VIRAL ILLNESSES: HOW TO STOP COLDS AND FLU

EASTERN MEDICINE AND SEASONAL VIRAL ILLNESSES: HOW TO STOP COLDS AND FLU — SECRETS YOU NEED TO KNOW

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it has been believed for centuries that 95% of chronic diseases result from colds and viral infections.

A cold might seem like the simplest illness, but it’s not that simple. Eastern Medicine’s perspective on colds differs greatly from conventional views.

The development of chronic conditions often comes as a surprise to both the patient and their doctor, who may not associate a cold from two months ago with nausea and headaches now.

For example, when patients complain of back pain, there’s a consistent pattern: in 80–90% of cases, the pain syndrome was preceded by exposure to cold.

Eastern Medicine explains colds as the result of pathogenic factors — typically wind and cold — entering the body. When the body is exposed to cold, it uses all its energy to keep warm, weakening the immune system and giving viruses a chance to invade. People most often catch colds from drafts and air conditioning.

Important: There are two types of colds, “hot” and “wind-cold,” and their treatments are drastically different. Determining the type of illness in the early stages is crucial. For hot colds, cooling remedies are prescribed, while warming remedies are used for cold colds. Confusing heat with cold and prescribing the wrong treatment can slow recovery or worsen the condition.

Wind- Cold:

• Mild fever (around 37.2°C) or no fever.

• Chills despite wearing several layers of clothing.

• No sweating.

• Nasal congestion, sneezing, clear discharge, mild throat irritation.

• Tongue is pink, sometimes pale or bluish.

Hot Cold (a type of hot cold is the flu):

• Rapid fever rise above 38°C.

• Body aches, dry nose, green or yellow nasal discharge.

• Fast pulse, red tongue, intense thirst.

• Mild chills that quickly go away when covered.

Covid is also a hot cold but with the addition of a damp pathogen, so the treatment for Covid differs from that of a typical hot cold.

Can you go to the sauna with a cold?

• If it’s a wind- cold without a high fever, a short visit to a dry sauna can help warm you up.

• The best tea for a wind-cold is ginger + honey + lemon. It will warm you up from the inside.

• For a hot cold, the sauna is contraindicated — it will worsen overheating. Instead, drink linden tea or honeysuckle flower tea to reduce the fever.

Essential Formulas to Have at Home:

1. Yu Ping Feng — “Jade Screen from Wind” for cold prevention, immune support, and protection from drafts.

2. Gui Zhi Tang — for the first signs of a wind- cold. It alleviates symptoms and prevents the progression of colds and flu.

3. Yin Qiao San — for the first signs of a hot cold. It prevents further development of colds and flu and is used for protection against viruses while traveling. It reduces fever, expels toxins, and prevents possible complications.