Common Cold
Common Cold is an exogenous ailment with headache, nasal
obstruction, aversion to wind and fever as its main manifestations.
It often results from lowered superficial resistance and invasion of
the exogenous pathogenic factors. It may occur in any season.
According to the difference in weather, pathogenic factors and body
constitution, the manifestations can be classified into two types:
wind cold and wind heat.
Etiology and Pathogenesis
This disease is often due to delicate - constitution and weakened
body resistance which makes the body inadaptable to intense changes
of the weather with abnormal cold or warmth. Then the exogenous
pathogenic wind invades the body through the pores, skin, mouth and
nose, leading to manifestations related to lung and the defensive
function. Very often pathogenic wind combined with other pathogenic
factors like pathogenic cold causes a wind cold syndrome, or with
pathogenic heat causes a wind heat syndrome. Invasion of exogenous
pathogenic wind and cold may retard the lung's dispersing function
and block the pores, while invasion of exogenous pathogenic wind and
heat may impair the lung's descending function by the evaporating
heat, and lead to abnormal functioning of the pores. In addition,
since the patient's body build is different and the internal and
external causes are mutually influenced, the manifestations after
invasion by the pathogenic factors must be varied. For patients with
yang deficiency, wind cold syndrome is mostly seen, while for those
with yin deficiency, wind heat syndrome is often found.
Main manifestations: Chills, fever, anhidrosis, headache, soreness
and pain of the limbs, nasal obstruction, running nose, itching of
the throat, cough, hoarse voice, profuse thin sputum, thin white
tongue coating, superficial and tense pulse.
Analysis: Invasion of the body surface by pathogenic wind and cold
impairs the dispersing function of the lung and affects the nose,
causing nasal obstruction and discharge. Pathogenic cold is of yin
nature, which is likely to damage yang. Impairment of superficial
yang is manifested by exterior symptoms such as chills, fever,
anhidrosis, headache, even soreness and pain of the limbs. Thin
white tongue coating and superficial tense pulse are the signs
showing the invasion of the lung and the superficial defensive
system by pathogenic wind and cold.
Treatment
Method: Reducing is applied to the points of the Du, taiyang and
shaoyang meridians to eliminate wind cold and relieve exterior
symptoms. Even movement combined with moxibustion is applied to
patients with weakened constitutions.
Prescription: [DU16 – BL12 – GB20 – LU7 – LI 4].
Explanation: DU16 is used to relieve the exterior symptoms,
eliminate wind and check headache. BL12, a point of taiyang BL which
dominates the surface of the whole body, is selected to regulate the
circulation of qi in this meridian, to eliminate wind cold and to
relieve chills and fever. As the pathogenic cold has attacked the
surface of the body, and the lung is the organ related to the skin
and hair, LU7, the luo-connecting point of the taiyin LU, is used to
promote the dispersing function of the lung and to check cough.
GB20, a point at the intersection of shaoyang GB and yangwei, of
which the latter dominates yang and the exterior, is used to
eliminate wind cold. Since taiyin and yangming are externally and
internally related, LI 4, the yuan-primary point of yangming LI, is
used to eliminate the pathogenic factors and relieve the exterior
symptoms.
Main manifestations: Fever, sweating, slight aversion to wind, pain
and distending sensation of the head, cough with yellow, thick
sputum, congested and sore throat, thirst, thin white or yellowish
tongue coating, superficial and rapid pulse.
Analysis: Pathogenic wind heat often attacks the body through the
nose and mouth. The lung is involved first. Pathogenic wind of yang
nature is characterized by upward and outward dispersion. When a
fight goes on between the pathogenic wind heat and the body
resistance, fever, slight aversion to wind and sweating result. When
the pathogenic wind heat attacks the head, symptoms like pain and
distending sensation occur in the head. In case the lung fails in
dispersing and descending, there appears cough with yellow, thick
sputum. When the pathogenic wind heat stifles the air passage, there
is congested sore throat with thirst. Thin, white or yellowish
tongue coating, and superficial rapid pulse are the signs showing
the lung and the defensive system being attacked by the pathogenic
wind heat.
Treatment
Reducing is applied to the points of the Du, shaoyang and yangming
meridians to eliminate wind heat.
Prescription: [DU14 – LI11 – TH5 – LI4 – LU10 – LU11].
Explanation: Du is the sea of all the yang meridians. DU14, a point
where all the yang meridians meet, is used to eliminate heat and
other pathogenic factors of yang nature. LI4 and LI11 are the yuan-primary
point and the he-sea point of yangming LI. Since yangming LI and
taiyin LU are externally and internally related, reducing applied to
these two points can clear lung qi and reduce heat. LU10, the ying-spring
point of taiyin LU, in combination with LU11, can eliminate heat
from the lung and ease the throat. TH5, the luo-connecting point of
shaoyang TH connecting with yangwei, can dispel pathogenic factors
of yang nature in the exterior of the body and eliminate heat.
The above treatment can also be used for other viral and bacterial
infections of the upper respiratory tract as well as influenza.
However, common cold should be distinguished from other infectious
diseases with similar symptoms at the early stage.
Prophylactic measures: Moxibustion is applied daily to BL12or ST36
to prevent common cold during its prevalence.
