Chinese Medicine for Colds and Flus

As a singer, I have always been looking for the right magic potion to cure my sore throats, sinusitis, colds or flus. I have also observed singer friends asking other singers for tricks to get rid of their viruses or sharing their optimal blend to heal faster. We receive so many information from all over the place, and at some point, we forget to listen to our body and to understand basic universal laws.

In Chinese Medicine, the process of healing is different than the western medical approach. We treat the person, not the disease. When we are talking about colds and flus, usually, we can differentiate two types: Wind-heat or Wind-cold. That means that sometimes, the pathogen is hot, and sometimes it is cold. We need to understand the differences to be able to find the optimal treatment.

Wind-heat tends to manifest in sore throat, fever (with a little bit of chills), aversion to wind, yellow nasal secretion and slight sweating. If there is cough, usually the secretions are hard to expectorate and yellow.

For wind-cold, it manifests more with runny nose (clear/watery discharge), sneezing, itchy throat, chills (with a slight fever), aversion to cold, headache (usually in the back of the head) and usually there is no sweating. Body aches may also be present.

You can see here that these two illnesses are completely different! One tends more to attack the throat and the lungs, as the other one seems to affect more the nose and the head. So, what should we do now? Well, you need to sweat the pathogen out as soon as possible. Some people, with a very strong constitution, will go out and exercise. This works for them as they have a lot of Qi. But for some others, having a hot bath, sipping a warm tea and putting as many layers as possible to achieve a state of sweating can be a better solution.

So now, what should we eat? What should we avoid? In both cases, avoid dairy and sugar as long as you are sick, as they tend to nourish the viruses and create a favourable environment for the pathogens. Bone broth is very good as it helps strengthen the body to fight the illness. For wind-cold, drink ginger tea, lemon juice, warm beverages, small dosage of spices, but for wind-heat please avoid these! "What?? But ginger and lemon are good when we are sick?" - not in this case. Ginger is very warming and will add fire to the pathogen that is hot already. As for lemon and vinegars, they are very drying and feeding the wind-heat as well. The best teas to induce sweating and cool down the body are peppermint tea, green tea and chamomile.

Acupuncture is fantastic when it comes to expelling these unwanted intruders. Of course, it is always best to consult a practitioner if you are not sure how to address your imbalance, especially if you have a weak constitution, a specific condition, or if the illness is progressing in a very bad way. These general rules can however help you a long way with the common colds and flus that we encounter in our northern country. Also, don’t forget to protect your neck from the wind, get enough moment in nature and spread love around you. Happy Holidays to you all!

- Roseline Lambert, Registered Student Acupuncturist, M.Mus.