Acupuncture Healthcare

Cold and Flu Season

What can you do?  In Chinese Medicine there is a distinction between the ordinary head colds and the virulent influenza  (epidemic flues) that get passed around the office very quickly.

An ordinary head cold is really up to you.  You have a window of opportunity to bypass getting sick.  This cold starts with a slight scratch of the throat, a twinge in the back of the neck, and/or a slight headache in the back of the neck or head, maybe even a few chills.  Caught at this stage, you can take a formula that releases the exterior and pushes the cold out of the body—Ge Gen Tang, Ma Huang Tang, or Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao San.  This is also the perfect time to take a hot bath, wrap up in something very warm, and crawl under the covers and sweat out the exterior wind and cold invasion.  Drink lots of fluids.  Slow down, take a nap.    

If the head cold has not been caught, it has probably progressed to something stronger.  The throat is sore, possible fever and chills.  This is where it becomes important to decide if the head cold is changing from wind-cold into wind-heat or if you are now into a full-blown wind-heat invasion.  The cues are subtle, but you are likely to take Yin Qiao San or Chai Ge Jie Ji Tang to reduce the time spent in bed.  Yes, you can still keep from getting really sick (2-4 days instead of 1 week).  Again take a hot bath, wrap up warm, and put yourself to bed.  Sore throat:  gargle with a couple of shakes of Cheyenne pepper, a capful of apple cider vinegar, and 3 oz of warm water.  Drink lots of fluids.  And sleep!

If you are unlucky and happen to have caught the nasty stuff going around the office, the classroom, or your gym, then the above formulas are still used.  They will decrease the time that you are sick, but you will go down at least for a few days if not a full week.

See your acupuncturist to reduce time in bed and to stop the flu from entering your chest and lungs, which may cause a nasty cough that lingers for weeks.  

 Sleep, sleep, and sleep!
Drink lots of fluids.

Sore throat:  gargle with a couple of shakes of Cheyenne pepper, a capful of apple cider vinegar, and 3 oz of warm water.  

Body aches and chills:  hot bath, wrap up in something very warm, get under lots of blankets and sweat it out.  Don't get cold.

Congestion and/or sinusitis:  you can vaporize by adding one of the following:  apple cider vinegar (1 Tbl.), eucalyptus essential oil (couple of drops), or juniper essential oil (couple of drops) to a big bowl of hot water cover your head with a towel to keep the steam in.  Close your eyes! And take deep breaths.  This will help clear your sinuses and open your chest.

Neti pot if you have one.  Use sea salt with a drop of grapefruit seed extract to kill any bacteria lining your nasal cavity.

Sleep, sleep, and sleep!

Drink lots of fluids.