Does the Common Cold NEED to be common?

The season of the common cold is approaching. For many of us here in Santa Barbara, our Fall and Winter season can be pretty manageable, but the relative seasonal changes can still present a challenge to our immune systems. 

Chinese Medicine divides the common cold into different types of bodily “invasions” based on the external pathogen’s signs and symptoms. In general, colds set in acutely, so they are categorized as a Wind Invasion. This occurs in the external layers of the body first, then the skin and lungs, and if left untreated or if the body is weak, the invasion will go into deeper layers.

Wind invasions are often differentiated as either Wind Heat or Wind Cold. This means that two people may present with symptoms of a general cold in Western medicine and be treated similarly for it, but in the Traditional Chinese Medicine paradigm, further assessment will reveal the specifics of the invasion and a unique treatment will be given to each presentation.

To better understand the differences, we will look at each one individually.

Wind Heat

Wind invasions set in quickly with symptoms of fatigue, loss of appetite, fever and chills, and malaise. Wind Heat, however, expressed swelling of the tissues in the upper respiratory tract, feelings of heat in the face, upper neck, and body, and possibly headaches related to sinus congestion, and more of a fever than chills. They will generally avoid warm temperatures of fluids and will gravitate to neutral to slightly cool temperatures and experience more thirst than normal.

Wind Cold

On the other hand, Wind Cold invasions are associated with more tightness throughout the body, less sore but drier throat, possibly worse headaches as the cold contracts tissues and produces a sensation of acute pain. They will still experience chills and fever, but more chills than fever. They will experience less thirst and there will be a preference for warm temperatures and fluids.

Often a Wind Invasion will begin as Wind Cold, and quickly, within a day or so, transform into Wind Heat with the associated changes of signs and symptoms from one to the other. If you can catch this initial stage and intervene through acupuncture or herbal medicine, you can generally stop the progression of symptoms and kick the invasion out. An individualized approach to acupuncture with a custom herbal formulation will address the present patterns, assist the body in healing, and avoid the potential two to three weeks of lingering symptoms that so many people just accept as the natural course. 

If you know that you’ll be around people who are sick, be sure to wash your hands often and apply a small amount of oil of your choice to the inside of your nostrils. This will hydrate and strengthen those membranes and reduce the likelihood of micro cracks from dry, cooler air that allows pathogens to enter the body. Prevention by strengthening the immune system through herbal medicine is the best method, but needless to say, if you find yourself caught with a Wind Invasion, take a moment to do the following. 

If based on the above, you think it is Wind Heat:

• Do not force yourself to eat if you are not hungry, fasting is okay during this time if it is sage for you
• Make time to rest, since your body’s resources are being redirected to the immune system during this time 
• Make a strong mint tea (preferably fresh) and sip throughout the day to maintain hydration and cool some of the heat symptoms

If you think you have Wind Cold:

• Do not force yourself to eat if you are not hungry, fasting is okay during this time if it is sage for you
• Make time to rest, since your body’s resources are being redirected to the immune system during this time 
• Make a strong tea of fresh ginger slices and slices of the whites of green onions. Consume this tea hot, while you wrap yourself in a warm blanket to induce a strong sweat. Sweating will aid the body in releasing the pathogen and reducing the severity and length of sickness. 

If you do not know what you have but know that you do not want to deal with it, come see me for an evaluation and treatment. It is good to keep herbal formulas around to begin taking at the first signs of a Wind Invasion. In Eastern Asia, these previous practices are common, and, as a result, the general population does not consider the common cold an unavoidable nuisance. Good news is that now, we don’t have to either. 

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found some useful tips to keep yourself healthier and thriving through the next few months. 

Diego Garcia, LAc
MAcOM, Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Practitioner
CSCS, Performance Coach