Hoo~ Hoo~ Hoo~
These past few days, the wind outside has been howling.
Besides disturbing our sweet dreams,
it also serves as a reminder—
It’s getting cooler!
Not only has it prompted everyone to switch to
“chaotic dressing” mode,
but the howling north wind has also brought along a “cold” package!
However, even though it’s still a cold,
there is a distinction between 【Wind-Cold】 and 【Wind-Heat】.
The symptoms, treatments, and medications for the two are quite different.
Not distinguishing between cold and heat and taking medication indiscriminately
can worsen the condition!
Wind-Cold? Wind-Heat? Can’t tell the difference?
Whether it’s Wind-Cold or Wind-Heat, the common symptoms are fever, chills, nasal congestion, and body aches.
Among these, throat itching and throat pain are key points for differentiating between Wind-Cold and Wind-Heat.
Generally, throat itching indicates Wind-Cold, while throat pain indicates Wind-Heat.
However, one must rule out cough caused by dryness, as this type of cough, whether from warm dryness (Wind-Heat Dry) or cool dryness (Wind-Cold Dry), also presents with throat itching symptoms.
The following images will help everyone distinguish better~
※ Here, “fever” refers to the patient’s subjective feeling, not body temperature.
Reference: “Understanding the Differences Between Wind-Cold and Wind-Heat, for Those Who Often Catch Colds”. Life Times. 2018
Wind-Cold Cold
Treatment Key: Disperse Wind, Scatter Cold, and Open the Lungs[1]
Auxiliary Treatment Methods: For treating Wind-Cold, inducing sweating (known in TCM as releasing the exterior with warm herbs) is essential. This can be achieved through hot baths, foot soaks, or acupoint massage (to the point of local warmth and soreness).
[1]
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Fengchi (Wind Pool) Point—located in the depressions on both sides of the large muscle at the back of the neck.
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Yingxiang (Welcome Fragrance) Point—located at the midpoint of the outer edge of the nostrils.
Dietary Considerations: It is advisable to consume warming foods, such as ginger, scallions, and fermented soybeans, while avoiding sour foods like pickled vegetables, vinegar, hawthorn, and cold foods like melons and fruits.
Wind-Heat Cold
Treatment Key: Disperse Wind, Clear Heat, and Purge the Lungs[1]
Dietary Considerations: Drink plenty of water, and the diet should be spicy, cool, light, and easy to digest. Foods like cabbage, white radish, pears, and oranges are recommended, while avoiding hot foods like scallions, ginger, garlic, chili, leeks, jujubes, and apricots.
[1]
However, if either type of cold is not treated in time, it can transform over time, leading to “cold transforming to heat” or “heat transforming to cold”.
It is also necessary to distinguish it from influenza~ For an introduction to influenza, click the blue text → “Is Influenza More Deadly Than the Common Cold?”
If you cannot determine on your own, avoid taking medication indiscriminately. It is recommended to follow medical advice and treat according to the syndrome.
Daily Prevention is Important
To avoid being plagued by colds, the most important thing is to enhance immunity and keep warm. Special attention should be paid to keeping the head, neck, back, and feet warm to prevent illness.
You can also try the following three tips; as the temperature drops, don’t neglect your health!
Regularly Massage the Tianzong Point
The Tianzong point is located in the scapular area, at the center of the infraspinatus fossa (about one-third of the way up the scapula, where a bony prominence can be felt slanting inward and downward, which is the scapular spine, and below it is the infraspinatus fossa), level with the fourth thoracic vertebra.
When massaging, place your thumb on the acupoint and fix the other four fingers on the shoulder; apply moderate pressure with the thumb until a feeling of soreness and swelling is reached. Each session should last about 2-3 minutes, 1-2 times a day.[2]
Ginger Date Tea
Ingredients: 15 grams of fresh ginger, 10 grams of roasted licorice, 5 red dates (sliced).
Method: Boil in water and drink in the morning.
The 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia states that ginger can release the exterior and disperse cold, so why not swap your milk tea for “health tea”?
Angelica and Ginger Lamb Soup
Ingredients (serves 1): 20 grams of fresh ginger, 10 grams of angelica slices, 100 grams of lamb.
Method:
1. Clean the lamb, remove the sinews, cut into small pieces, blanch in water, and drain.
2. Slice the ginger and wash the angelica, then place them together with the lamb in a clay pot.
3. Add water, bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then simmer on low heat for 2 hours. Finally, add salt to taste and enjoy the meat and soup.
This soup recipe comes from Zhang Zhongjing’s “Shang Han Lun”. On a cold day, drinking a warm bowl of lamb soup is delightful!
Make sure not to catch a cold~ Did you hear that, you little rascal~
Reference:
[1] Both types of colds, Wind-Cold and Wind-Heat, are different! For external Wind-Cold, massage this acupoint twice a day! People’s Health Network. 2018
[2] Colds are particularly common in autumn! These methods to prevent colds are simple and practical! People’s Health Network. 2020
