June 1997
Authors note
This newsletter is part of my On Line HerbalDoc service to help you
become more informed about Traditional Chinese Medicine, Herbal medicine,
and health care in general. I try to include one or two general information
articles, one for self help, and one scientific/research related paper
per issue, along with any notices or alert bulletins. I usually write one
or two of the articles, and pass along the others from other journals or
authors with references to them.
The other part of my HerbalDoc service is individualized information
on particular concerns or health problems. I am happy to send information,
research, and recommendations at no up front cost, but ask that you first
fill out the intake form found on my webpage and email it to me at dkomd@aol.com
If you only drop a note, "what do you know for xyz disease", I generally
will not answer as the named disease does not adequately describe the problem
for me as a TCM practitioner, and it is unfair to you to send back cookbook
responses.
1) Definitions and disease
2) Support of HR1038 "The Federal Acupuncture Coverage
Act of 1997"
3) Superoxide Dimutase-like activities
in anti-inflammatory Chinese Herbs and Chinese Herbal Formulas
4) Food, raw versus cooked?
5) Spring Poem
6) First aid with Chinese herbs part 1, Treatment
of Common Cold
Back to Newsletter index
1) Definitions and Disease by Bob Kelley OMD
When we define a thing, we order it, we confine it, we control
it. To live without definitions would be to exist as pure undifferentiated
experiential awareness, and totally relinquish "control" to some other
higher power and have unconditional acceptance of life. For most of us
this is too difficult, too overwhelming. We need to categorize our world,
narrow it to a more comfortable level of awareness. For dealing with disease,
definitions empower us to attempt to control it. However before delving
into the paradigms of terms, it should be noted that dis-ease may ultimately
be a message to ourselves to take a look at ourselves and the definitions
we have adopted (moreover imposed), and reevaluate them. As an overview,
the Oriental Medicine perspective is that all disease is relative and changing,
and does not impose a standard of absolutes. It sees disease as part of
a larger pattern, the many elements making up the whole of the disease.
It is a synthesis of many components. This is opposite to the prevalent
Western analytical approach that seeks to distill the disease down to its
one errant element, virus/bacteria/DNA molecule/atom.. Oriental Medicine
uses a number of terms to define disease. These, as stated in my previous
newsletter, are simple terms, related to nature and natural phenomenon.
Disease is thought to be caused by three main categories, External causes,
Internal causes, and Miscellaneous. External causes include Heat, Cold,
Wind, Damp, Dryness, and Summer Heat. Internal causes are primarily related
to Emotional disharmony (AKA 7 emotional factors) which change into internal
disharmony (Organ Network Disharmony) over time. Miscellaneous causes include
traumatic injury, environmental, and cultural factors. This would include
such things as air and water Pollution, chemical toxicity, electromagnetic
fields, Geothermal fields, etc.. Generally diseases are differentiated
into patterns (Bien Zheng) named by these factors, for example, external
wind heat invasion. (see common cold article), or Liver Spleen disharmony
(see Chinese Organ Network link on my webpage). This is the main branch
of TCM diagnosis/differentiation. There also were a small number of recurring
diseases whose conformation patterns were so distinctive, that they acquired
specific disease names, such as Xiao Ke (wasting thirsting disease), for
diabetes, or "double moth ball wind" for tonsillitis. These names are much
along the same thinking as Standard Allopathic defined diseases. A modern
practitioner attempts to use both systems. The beauty of the "differentiation",
Bien Zheng, method inherent in mainstream Traditional Chinese Medicine
is that disease is seen as a relative state of imbalance, a state along
a continuum of change, and therefore changeable in nature. This gives a
sense of relief from the otherwise static (absolute) definition imposed
by Western Medicine, say, for example, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Avascular
Necrosis, Aids, etc.. Also, the differentiation also implies the cure.
That is, Liver Fire Blazing (as one pattern is called), implies the need
to avoid heating substances, climates, emotions, and implies the need to
use cooling herbs, foods, and activities. Since so many diseases have their
roots in internally caused , emotionally rooted, stress related causes,
it is as much a part of the cure to change a persons outlook on themselves
and their definitions of disease as is any "remedy" or "treatment". This
is not to say that it is all placebo, but faith, optimism, hope, and a
breaking away from static definitions of disease are powerful elements
that Scientists are just now beginning to validate. (see previous article
"Body mind connection") Ultimately, we should not look for any definitions
of disease, but rather what is the message it is telling us? So often,
it is saying, slow down, enjoy life, be in harmony, stop defining life
and know yourself..
Top of page
2) HR 1038 IH "the Hinchey bill"
The following is an appeal to help get acupuncture accepted for medicare and Federal Employees reimbursement. If successful, it will be a major step in bringing acupuncture into mainstream use and get reimbursement from many other insurance companies.
Please become involved and support this bill. The Bill is to amend title
XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of qualified acupuncture
service under Part B of the Medicare Program and to amend title 5,
United Stes Code to provide for coverage of such service under the
Federal Employees Health Program.
There is an effort to solicit your proactive support of HR1038 "The Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 1997" by engaging in a letter writing campaign. In the next 3 months, if each of us can mobilize friends, students, family members and friends to write their Congressperson, we can generate 500,000 or more letter to make your support of this bill known to every member of Congress loud and clear.
Sample Letter
Date
Your Congress man's Name
Reference: My strong support of Bill HR 1038
Honorable Congresswoman/man ( Your Congressman's Last Name )
Bill HR 1038, short titled the 'Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 1997" , now in front of the Congress is an outstanding bill. This bill will benefit millions of Medicare patients as well as offering sizeable potential savings to Medicare Programs. I support this bill whole-heartedly.
As your constituent, I strongly urge you to vote yes on HR 1038.
Sincerely yours,
Your Name
Your Address
_________
Thanks everyone! Act now...
3) SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE-LIKE ACTIVIT1ES IN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY Chinese HERBS AND CHlNESE HERBAL FORMULAS excerpted from East West Medical Digest Pi-Kwang Tsung, Ph.D.
Living cells produce free radicals as part of the metabolism of oxygen for their respiration. Most free radicals are quenched by self-protective systems in our body. However, overproduction of free radicals causes damage in various biomembranes by attacking the unsaturated fatty acids of the biomembranes. Biomembrane damage caused by free radical reactions is believed to be the cause of various aging-associated diseases including cancer, arthritis, osteoarthritis, arteriosclerosis, and kidney diseases. One of the enzymes necessary to eliminate superoxide is superoxide dismutase (SOD). The anti-inflammatory properties of SOD were discovered by Huber and Schulte, and the efficacy of SOD injected intra articularly into the synovial cleft of patients suffering from active osteoarthritis of the knee joint was first reported by Lund-Olesen and Menandert. The therapeutic use of SOD in inflammatory joint diseases has been reported in central Europe, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and the USA. This report summarizes the findings of SOD-like activities in anti-inflammatory Chinese herbal formulas and the individual herbs comprising the ingredients of these formulas. Eight herbal formulas tested for SOD-like activities were Stephania and Astragalus Combination (Fang-ji-huang-qi-tang), Stephania & Astragalus Combination plus Aconite (Fang-ji-huang-qi-tang jia-fu-zii), Atractylodes Combination (Yue-bi-jia-zhu -tang) , Atractylodes Combination plus Aconite (Yue-bi-jia-zhu-fu-tang), Cinnamon Hoelen & Atractylodes Combination (Gui-zhi jia-ling- zhu-tang), Cinnamon, Atractylodes & Aconite Combination (Gui-zhi-jia-ling-zhu-fu-tang), Cinnamon & Atractylodes Combination (Gui-zhi-er-yue-bi-yi-tang) and Cinnamon & Atractylodes Combination plus Aconite (Gui-zhi-er-yue-bi-yi-tang-jia-fu-zi). Among the eight herbal formulas tested, Atractylodes Combination (AC), Atractylodes Combination plus Aconite (ACA), Cinnamon & Atractylodes Combination (CAC) and Cinnamon & Atryctalodes Combination plus Aconite (CACA) showed higher SOD-like activities. The SOD-like activities analysis of the individual herbs of the ingredients of the formulas showed that Mahuang (Ephedrae herb) had the highest activity. The test results are shown in Table 1. Higher SOD-like activities in AC, ACA, CAC and CACA may reflect the contents of Mahuang and peony in the ingredients. Ma-huang or
| Herb | SOD-like activities |
| Ma Huang | 78.0 +/-5.6 |
| Peony | 39.0 +/-5.7 |
| Cinnamon | 8.3+/-0.8 |
| Jujube | 3.2 +/-0.5 |
| Licorice | 3.0 +/-0.5 |
| Processed Aconite | 1.6 +/-0.2 |
| Atractalodes | 1.3+/-0.2 |
| Gypsum | .3+/-0.1 |
| Ginger | 2.0+/-0.7 |
peony combined with gypsum, Atractalodes, licorice and ginger resulted in lowering SOD-like activities. Processed Aconite showed dose-dependent SOD-like activities when the herbal extract alone was tested. However, adding Aconite to the AC or CAC formula did not increase the SOD-like activities of aconite. It can be assumed that the components or the enzyme of SOD is inactivated when aconite is decocted with other herbs. It might be one of reasons why Ma-huang containing formula combined with mesaconitine-rich processed aconite has better results in comparison to decoction of aconite with Ma-huang and other herbs together in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (East-West Medical Digest 4 (1993) 1; 4, (1993)22). The containing of SOD-like activities in anti-inflammatory Chinese herbs and formulas provides us some explanation of the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine on arthritis and inflammatory joint diseases. A further investigation is necessary to understand the activity-function relationship between SOD and anti-inflammatory Chinese herbal medicines.
There has been much controversy over the relative benifits of eating raw versus cooked foods. The problem is, although raw foods may contain more live enzymes and nutrients, they also require more energy to digest. Often in todays too busy environment, chewing is inadequate as well time to relax, enjoy the meal, and digest it. I myself have pursued both diets from the extreme raw food, Arnold Erret diet, to Macrobiotics and mostly cooked foods. A happy medium seems to be best. Cooking at lower temperatures and for shorter times also helps meet the medium. The following is an article on the TCM viewpoint, that the net absorbed outweighs the gross consumed.
100 Degree Soup
When you eat foods and drink beverages, they are converted in the stomach into a soupy mixture with digestive juices at about 100 degrees (Fahrenheit), just above normal body temperature. At that temperature, the enzymes and acids break down the food efficiently.
When you eat or drink foods that are cold, they must be warmed up by
the body to 100 degrees. That takes a fair amount of energy. While the
ingested materials are being warmed up, the stomach and its digestive juices
function inefficiently. The more material you consume at cool temperature
and the
cooler the temperature, the more energy it takes to warm it up and
the less efficient is the digestion.
On the other hand, if food is consumed warm (near 100 degrees) it is
digested efficiently and your
body need not expend unnecessary energy warming it up.
Foods that are inadequately digested enter the intestines and can not be easily absorbed. One therefore misses out on some of the nutrients, and the undigested food is used by the intestinal bacteria, producing gas, bloating, and intestinal cramping. Diarrhea will be worsened by these conditions.
Infection lowers the ability of the intestines to absorb nutrients.
It also robs the body of efficient metabolic energy. Thus, when consuming
chilly foods and beverages, the impact of infestion is more
severe.
Therefore, one should give attention to the following: 1) Avoid very cold foods and beverages: be especially careful about iced beverages, ice cream, and the like. 2) Whenever possible, allow fresh foods to warm to room temperature, and cook foods (and eat them while still warm if possible). 3) When taking herbs, use warm water or tea to swallow them or follow up with some warm beverage.
A warm soup is an ideal way to get nourishment. It is already predigested by the cooking process, and it needs minimum digestive activity to make it absorbable. There are some ingredients that could be included to further warm up a meal: such as garlic, ginger, and green onions.
5)Promoting Health and Relaxation during the Spring season (by the poet GAO Lian, fl. 1575; translated by Heiner Fruehauf)
The three months of spring are the time of renewal: the old and stale dissipates, heaven and earth come to life, and everything blossoms. Rest at night and get up early, stride freely through the courtyard, let your hair down and indulge in the leisurely feeling of a morning stroll, this is how you should raise your spirits in spring. Foster all life and do not kill, be generous and agreeable, give freely and do not punish. This is the way of honoring the Qi of spring and nourishing life during this season. Going against these characteristics of the seasonal flow will have harmful affects on the liver network.
The flavor of liver wood is sour. Wood can overcome earth which is the dynamic element governing the spleen, which in turn is influenced by sweet flavors. In spring, therefore, one should eat less sour foods and increase ones intake of mildly sweet foods to nourish spleen Qi.
The warming rays of the new sun of spring kindle everything into sprouting growth, including certain diseases that have been hiding beneath the body's surface. The weather is quite erratic during the first and second lunar month (February to April), cold at one moment and hot the next and since most of the elderly suffer from some kind of chronic ailment, the advancing Qi of spring may cause those people to feel tired and weak. Chronic ailments flare up easily under these conditions. Also, during the winter months people tend to hover near the smoky stove and eat processed food, and these detrimental influences gradually accumulate in the body until they finally come out in spring. They will make the body feel hot and the head dizzy, the diaphragm will plug up and the mouth turn sticky, the arms will lose strength and the legs and lower back wilt become weak. All of these are ailments which have accumulated during the winter season. When the body exhibits signs of change and one senses that disease may be coming on, it would be wrong to simply use moving herbs to straighten out apparent stagnation, because remedies of this nature may actually harm the organ networks this time and cause other diseases to crop up. The appropriate way is to use remedies that extinguish wind and harmonize Qi, cool the diaphragm and transform smoldering disease. If one chooses to employ dietary measures one should select foods that are energetically neither too hot nor too cold, possibly slightly cooling in nature, and which prevent stagnation by benefiting the smooth transformation of food and drink. In this manner, all of the body processes will flow naturally. If there are no signs of disease, there is no need to take any medicine.
Spring is the season of harmony. This is the time to roam through gardens and forests, to sit leisurely in scenic kiosks and take in the tranquil sights of nature. Open up your heart, get rid of all stagnant energy, and thus encourage the budding Qi of birth, life, and renewal to flow. At this time, it would be against the dynamics of nature to sit around dewing on things and grow stagnant and depressed. Avoid drinking a lot of alcohol, and show some restraint with those commonly eaten flower products that have a tendency to harm the spleen and stomach networks. They are truly hard to digest.
Especially old people should not give in to the temptation of transient oral pleasure and overeat on an empty stomach, otherwise their health will almost certainly suffer. Also, since the weather switches from cold to warm and from warm to cold, it would be a mistake for them to put their padded winter clothing away. Old people typically have weak qi, brittle bones, and frail body that is highly susceptible to wind gold. Since their surface is invaded easily they should always have an extra set of clothing ready which can be laid aside when the sun comes out. Decrease layer by layer, don't get rid of everything all at once!
6) Common Colds and Chinese Medicine by Bob Flaws L.Ac.
Colds and flu are one of the most common acute diseases we all suffer from. Most Americans experience between one and three colds per year. Sometimes these colds last only one or two days. But sometimes they may drag on for several days or may progress to bronchitis, strep throat, or even asthma which can last for weeks. Americans are bombarded by advertisements for remedies for the common cold, from Western pharmaceuticals on TV to herbal nostrums at their healthfood stores. In addition, there is a large body of folk treatments for the common cold recommending ag wide variety of methods which often are completely contradictory. As a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, over the years I have often seen patients who, taking an over-the-counter medication, whether synthetic, or herbal, or following some folk treatment, have made their situation worse, not better. They have either driven their disease deeper or increased its virulence by doing or taking the wrong thing at the wrong time.
When this happens it is usually because the person failed to consider whether the remedy they chose was appropriate for their particular cold or flu. This in turn, is because in our modern culture, we have lost most of our traditional wisdom about both common ailments and the rationale behind their remedies. We have lost the understanding which underlied our indigenous folk healing tradition, and, at the same time, most of us lack the training and expertise to understand and apply modern western medicine. Without access to a lab, we have no way of knowing whether we are suffering from a virus or bacteria and without access to a PDR (Physician's Desk Reference) and a prescription pad, even if we could make a technical Western medical diagnosis, it would not do us much good. Traditional Chinese medicine, on the other had, can provide a very clear understanding of each individual's cold or flu, and based on such an understanding, we each can immediately know whether a particular folk remedy or therapy is right for us.
DISEASE CAUSES/DISEASE MECHANISMS
In English we say we have caught a cold or caught a chill. This common idiomatic expression is based on exactly the same age-old wisdom contained in Chinese medicine. According to Chinese medical theory, common colds and flu are most often a manifestation of our having been invaded by some energy from the outside. Traditionally, these invading energies are described as evil wind (feng xie) and damaging cold (shang han). These energies penetrate our defensive qi (wei qi) which surrounds our bodies like a force field or "Gardol Shield". Once these penetrating energies get into the body where they should not be, they obstruct the passageways through which the qi (energy) and blood flow. Then the righteous qi, the body's normal, healthy energy, contends with the evil qi, the invading pathogenic energy, and it is this struggle which gives rise to all the signs and symptoms of a cold.
Ancient Chinese doctors did not have microscopes to see bacteria, but they knew that people caught cold from some outside source, from something "in the air" or "on the winds". Depending on the patient's individual signs and symptoms, Chinese doctors divided the common cold into two basic types, Wind Cold and Wind Heat. Then they further differentiated how deep the pathogen had invaded the body. Based on these discriminations, Chinese doctors to this day recommend different therapies and remedies depending on whether a person's cold is hot or cold and upon which energetic layer of the body is under siege. If one has a hot flu but takes a warm remedy, they will make their sickness worse. It will be like adding gasoline to a burning fire. Likewise, if one has a cold flu and takes a cold remedy, they too will make themselves worse. In addition, if one applies a remedy appropriate for the wrong layer or level of invasion, again they may very well make their situation worse. Although, in some cases, it takes professional judgment and experience to differentiate whether an individual's cold is hot or cold and just how deep it is, in many cases, an informed layperson can be capable of diagnosing such differences for themselves.
WIND COLD
When a person is coming down with a cold, they usually experience one of two symptoms first. Either they feel chilled or they have a sore throat. Often these two symptoms occur several hours or a day after having been exposed to a chill or having gotten run down. If a person feels chilled, they may also feel feverish at the same time. Feeling chilled means wanting to wear more clothes and being afraid to go out in the cold or of being exposed to a draft. At the same time, one may feel achy all over and especially in the upper back and neck. One may also have a headache. These signs---chills, fever, and an achy feeling in the muscles---are all indicative of a Wind Cold invasion which has lodged in the surface of the body.
The surface or the outside of the body is an anatomical energetic region of the body in Chinese medicine. It is the superficial part of the body which is composed of the skin and pores and a fine capillary bed of small channels and vessels. According to Chinese medicine, the surface of the body is irrigated or energized primarily by the Wei or defensive qi. This defensive qi is quick moving and warm and is in charge of opening the pores to allow for discharge of body heat. At the same time, the defensive qi is also supposed to prevent entrance through these pores by invading evil qi (xie qi) or evil winds and attacking cold. In Chinese, the pores are called either qi men, gates of qi, or gui men, devils' gates, the latter name alluding to unseeable, noxious, invading pathogens.
If evil wind cold gets through the defensive qi and into the capillary beds (sun luo) of the surface, this evil qi obstructs the flow and, therefore, the function of the wei qi. The pores are shut closed and this blocks the natural discharge of metabolic heat. This heat is then trapped inside and, as it builds, it manifests as fever. When this happens, one the important distinguishing symptoms of this scenario is an absence of sweating. Then, because the wei qi backs up, the qi and blood which circulate through the superficial musculature becomes obstructed and this causes the muscular aching, headache, and general stiffness.
In Chinese medicine, it is said that because wind is yang, wind diseases tend to attack the upper body and are of abrupt onset. Chinese medicine calls the lungs the "tender organ", the organ most susceptible to attack by external evil qi. Likewise, Chinese medicine calls the lungs the canopy of the other organs. They act as a cap and first line of defense. Anatomically, the lungs are in the uppermost part of the chest where the points most susceptible to wind invasion are also located. Therefore, it is the lungs that first among the organs manifest a disturbance in their function due to wind evil. Sneezing, runny nose, stuffed nose, and cough are all signs that lung function has been adversely affected.
In addition to the above signs and symptoms of wind cold invasion, the professional practitioner will note that the tongue coating is normal. That means it is thin and white. This means that the invading pathogen has not affected the functioning of the stomach which, in turn, confirms that the evil qi is still at the surface. Also, the professional practitioner will note that the pulse at the radial arteries just behind the wrists is, in its most distal positions, floating. That means it can be felt superficially with light pressure, but, when pressed more firmly, the pulse disappears. This floating pulse also confirms that the pathogen is in the surface layers of the body and that the righteous qi of the body is struggling there with the evil. In the case of Wind Cold, the pulse is not only floating but also tight. This tightness evidences the obstruction of the wei qi superficially which causes the headache and muscular aches and pains. Based on this understanding of the disease mechanism of a superficial wind cold invasion, Chinese medicine says that the appropriate treatment principles to rectify this situation are to expel the wind form the surface, to warm the cold, and to diffuse or disperse downwards the lung qi as it normally should. In persons who are not sweating, expelling wind from the surface means to open the pores so that the wei qi can kick the wind back out of the body. There are many ways this can be accomplished at home or in the clinic. Diaphoretic or sweat-inducing herbs or foods can be taken. One can break a sweat by exercising vigorously or by taking a sauna or steambath. Or one can open the pores to expel wind by vigorously scraping the upper back with a blunt object and some fresh ginger or onion tea. This is call "gua sha" and is usually done with the edge of a porcelain Chinese soupspoon. Another home remedy is to cup the region of the upper back using glass jars and alcohol-impregnated cotton to burn out the oxygen and create a suction on the skin. When left in place or slid up and down the back, cupping pulls the wind evil back out of the body. Both these methods, gua sha and cupping, can be learned from a professional acupuncturist or practitioner of Chinese medicine and can be done with ordinary household objects. Once a sweat has broken, it is very important that the person dry themselves off thoroughly and then bundle themselves well so that another draft may not enter their surface while the devils' gates or pores are still open. In addition, the temperature of the person's room or house should be kept warm. This accomplishes the second treatment principle, warming the cold. If herbs or foods are used as household remedies, they should be selected from amongst those which are spicy or acrid and warm. Each herb or food has one of six flavors and five possible temperatures. These six flavors are acrid, bitter, sour, salty and bland. The five temperatures are hot, warm, neutral, cool and cold. In addition, such herbs should also be diaphoretic and dispersing or diffusing to the lungs. Common foods and spices which are acrid and warm include fresh ginger, onions, garlic, scallions, and cayenne. One traditional Chinese household remedy for wind cold invasion at the surface is to steep chopped scallions and fresh ginger in some boiled water and drink freely until sweat is caused. Common Western herbs which are acrid, warm and diaphoretic include Ephedrae, angelica, basil, yerba buena and osha. Although fever as a symptom may accompany a wind Cold superficial disease, this disease's nature is cold, and fever is a product of the disease and is not the disease itself. Therefore, it's categorically wrong to use water baths or cold packs to try to suppress or lower the fever. If such cold external therapies are used, these will only result in closing the surface even tighter. This will retain the Wind Cold and drive it deeper, thus aggravating and prolonging the disease course. Likewise, unless the disease is in the surface layer of the body, it is also categorically wrong to cause sweating in any other type of cold or flu as this will only exhaust the wei qi and yin fluids and will result in either introduction more external evils into the surface or in weakening the righteous qi of the body therefore again allowing the disease course to progress and prolong.
Professional practitioners of Chinese medicine have at their disposal a number of herbal formulas which are extremely effective in treating Wind Cold invasions. These usually consist of six to a dozen ingredients which are decocted into a strong tea and drunk. Each formula is chosen and adjusted to each individual patient's needs. Chinese herbal medicine is very effective in treating cold and flu. Acupuncture treatment can also be helpful in treating colds and flu and every nationally certified (NCCA) acupuncturist knows the standard protocols for these.
WIND HEAT
External, superficial Wind Heat is the other basic pattern accounting for most people's cold and flu. It is important to understand that Wind Cold invasions are not necessarily associated with cold seasons or weather and wind heat with warm seasons and weather. Actually "wind" is just the Chinese name for the unseen pathogen and whether the disease is hot or cold depends primarily on the patient's constitution, diet, and environment. Wind Cold tends to present in patients who are colder or cooler metabolically in general. Whereas, Wind Heat tends to present in more robust, fiery persons. In my practice in Colorado, I see more Wind Heat than Wind Cold because my patient population is fairly robust, and because of hectic and stressful lifestyle, they tend to run over-heated.
The signs and symptoms of Wind Heat are fear of chill but not so much, possible headache but not much body achiness, sore throat, nasal obstruction, sneezing and coughing with thicker, yellowish mucous, burning eyes, a more pronounced fever, a thin, yellow tongue coating, and a floating, fast pulse. Whereas cold tends to constrict the flow of qi and blood, heat tends to cause inflammation and irritation. This is why the chills and achiness are less but the fever and sore throat are more. There mayor may not be sweating. Since there is not the cold which constricts the surface, sweating usually spontaneously begins soon after the body temperature rises, but at first there is often a dry, feverish or baked heat feeling. The pulse is fast because there is heat and the tongue coating is yellow because this invading hot pathogen has caused a rise in heat in the body as a whole. Since the stomach tends to be hot in any case in robust, stressed individuals and especially in men, this rise in over-all heat causes the stomach to become hotter and this results in the yellow tongue fur. This heat may often exacerbate liver heat, in which case there may be painful eyes and a more pronounced headache accompanied by irritability or irascibility. The treatment principles for treating a superficial Wind Heat invasion are to expel wind from the surface, clear heat, and diffuse or disperse the lungs. If the stomach or liver re involved as they so often are, then heat should be cleared or purged from these organs as well. Because there is heat rather than cold, saunas, hot baths, and steambaths are not appropriate. However, cupping and gua sha still are. Herbal medicines, whether Chinese or Western, should be spicy or acrid and cool, not warm. Common Western acrid cool herbs are peppermint, horsemint, and catnip, elder flowers and feverfew. Ever since Liu Wan-su of the Jin/Yuan dynasties (approximately 1000 years ago), Chinese medicine has believed that since life itself and therefore the living body is warm, most diseases tend to be either warm or hot. Because of this, any heat added anywhere to the body may exacerbate any heat elsewhere in the body. This is called the principle of similar transformation. Due to this principle, warm diseases can immediately become quite complicated, and it is my opinion that they should be treated professionally if they do not respond promptly to home treatment. All too often, it is these flus which evolve into strep, scarlatina, measles, mumps, rheumatoid arthritis, bronchitis, pneumonia, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Professional practitioners of Chinese medicine can diagnose the various complications of Wind Heat upon the various organs and both Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture are very effective in treating Wind Heat diseases. In addition, because Wind Heat diseases are so common, there are a number of Chinese herbal patent medicines available from professional practitioners and Chinese apothecaries which should be kept on hand in the home. These can be administered with relative safety and precision by laypersons if they keep just a few discriminating points in mind. Yin Chiao Jie Du Pian are tablets for treating the initial symptoms of a Wind Heat invasion as outlined above. These re especially good for fever, chills, and sore throat at the onset. Sang Chu Jie Du Pian are tablets for Wind Heat invasion accompanied by cough. Otherwise, they are similar to the first medicine. Beijing Niu Huang Jie Du Pian are tablets which treat fever and more extreme sore throat accompanied by constipation and possible fever blisters on the lips. And Qing Fei Yi Huo Pian are tablets which treat sore throat, swollen glands, irritability, fever, painful eyes, and constipation due to both liver and stomach heat complications. In all cases of Wind Heat it is especially important not to eat or drink anything spicy, hot or greasy. Such foods only tend to aggravate evil heat and cause complications with the liver and stomach. That means one should avoid cayenne and hot peppers, greasy meats, oils, nuts, nut butters, and alcohol. On the other hand, in a Wind Heat invasions, it is important to drink plenty of fluids. This is to onset the consumption or evaporation of body fluids by evil heat. However, even though the disease may be hot, these fluids should be drunk room temperature or warm so as to make them more easily assimilable. One should also not use cold external remedies to reduce fever just as in Wind Cold diseases and for the very same reason. One should also not take Chinese tonic herbals during either a Wind Cold or Wind Heat invasion unless these herbs have been prescribed by a professional practitioner of Chinese medicine to specifically treat a simultaneous deficiency. If one supplements the qi inappropriately, say with Codonopsis or Astragaglus, one may, in fact, close the pores, trapping the wind evil within. In Chinese, this is called closing the windows and doors when a thief is in the house. Chinese tonic medicinals should only be used in acute diseases based on knowledgeable professional prescription.
According to one of my teachers, Dr. Yu Ming of the Yue Yang Traditional Chinese Hospital in Shanghai, the presence of sore throat is one the easiest and most effective ways of discriminating a Wind Hot invasion. Although sore throats may occur for other seasons as well, they only present in Wind Hot superficial diseases, Not in Wind Cold. Therefore, if all other signs and symptoms point to the present disease as being a superficial invasion, such as chills, fever, recent and rapid onset, and a floating pulse, if there is sore throat, it is probably a Wind Heat invasion.
WIND DRYNESS
Chinese medicine also identifies two other types of colds and flus which
are more seasonal or environmental. These are Wind Dryness invasions and
common cold due to pathogenic Summer Heat and Dampness. Classically, Wind
dryness colds are considered a fall disease in China. However, in dry climates,
they can occur during any season when the humidity is especially or persistently
low. The signs of Wind Dryness re fear of chill, fever, headache, a dry,
unproductive cough, a dry mouth and nose, thirst, sore throat, a reddish,
dry tongue with a thinner than normal coating, and a floating, fine, and
possibly rapid pulse. When accompanied by a sore throat, this is a Wind
Heat invasion complicated by Dryness. In Colorado, this species of upper
respiratory infection is quite common.
The requisite treatment principles for remedying this type of flu are
to expel wind, clear heat, moisten dryness, and to disperse the lungs.
This can be done with the same patent medicines mentioned above supplemented
by moistening food and drinks. Pears and pineapples, both fresh fruits
and juices, generate fluids as does a little sugar or honey and milk. In
cases where there is excessive wet phlegm and mucous, these foods are contraindicated
or forbidden. But in dry diseases, they are quite effective for moistening
that dryness and promoting the secretion of body fluids. Mullein is at
least one Western herb that accomplishes this same thing and in Chinese
medicine there are several honey-based patent cough syrups, such Fritillaria
and Loquat Syrup, which can be kept on hand in the home for just this kind
of cough.
PREVENTION
In addition, the professional practitioner can help patients prevent invasion by wind evils by helping a person maintain adequate defensive qi for those who run cold in general and by helping keep one's internal temperature normal for those who run hot. For those who are susceptible to frequent Wind Cold invasions due to weak defensive qi, the professional practitioner can teach the patient home-administered moxibustion. This is the warming of certain acupuncture points, such st ST 36 and LI 10, with a burning herb (Artemesia Argium) every so often and especially at the turn of the seasons from summer to fall, fall to winter, and winter to spring. For those more prone to Wind Heat invasions, prophylactic use of such herbs as Isatis cn be taken whenever a flu or "bug" is going around. Isatis is available in several patent pills manufactured both in China and the U.S. Persons should also be counseled as to what kind of diet they should eat in general so as to maintain their internal balance. If the internal qi is flourishing and well-balanced, external evil cannot penetrate. In addition to eating a healthy and well-balanced, individually balanced diet, adequate rest and exercise are necessary to promote the production of copious righteous qi. In particular, mental emotional tranquility is of paramount importance in avoiding "catching" or being invaded by external evils. As it is said in the Nei Jing, the premier classic of Chinese medicine:
When one's mind is calm within, one's skin and pores will be strong and supple. Though there may be strong winds and dangerous toxins, they can do no harm. Thus one stays in harmony with the seasons.