If you notice the early signs of a cough/cold (stiff achy neck, headache, tired, feeling cold with chills, possible cough or scratchy throat etc) then act quickly! In TCM these early signs of a cold are still in the superficial layers of our body, we want to push the pathogen back out and prevent it from settling in deeper. We do this by releasing the exterior; we want to promote a gentle sweat then rest and allow our body to heal:
- Boil up some sliced ginger and spring onions (you can add black pepper and honey if you wish, or some people add fresh garlic), after 10 mins strain out the ingredients and drink the warm tea. This will encourage a gentle sweat. Traditionally, you would be wrapped in a blanket to encourage sweating, take care not to over-heat, a gentle sweat in enough!
- Keep warm and rest at home, drink plenty of warm fluids and allow your body to recover.
If you feel that your cold is getting worse you might need something stronger to help, get in touch with your practitioner who can prescribe specific herbs and acupuncture to help. In TCM, there are many traditional formulas that help but it’s important to select the right formula at the right time.
Commonly prescribed herbs include ginger and cinnamon which are anti-inflammatory and both warm the body and release wind-cold. Honeysuckle and forsythia can help with a sore throat; they are cold herbs with anti-viral properties that clear heat and inflammation and help reduce fever. If the cold has penetrated deeper, you might get phlegm and mucus in the chest causing coughing which require specific herbs to target the lungs. When the phlegm is yellow there is more heat (often linked to bacterial infection) so strong anti-bacterial herbs which are cold and bitter are needed. You may have a mix of both cold and heat in the body at the same time. Your practitioner can choose the right combination on herbs to support your recovery.
Prevention is always better than cure! Look after yourself as the seasons change, eat well, keep moving and add supplements when you need to. Consider taking an immune boosting formula in advance, something like Yu Ping Feng San which strengthens the exterior to prevent colds from invading.
