Hello everyone and welcome back to my show.
I'm Dr. Lott from Acupuncture is my Life.
Now in this episode I'd like to discuss the
different stages of the common cold which
made for an interesting chat session with
a few individuals who are overly concerned
with catching a cold and possibly becoming
infected with COVID-19. If you're ever interested
in learning more about acupuncture and engaging
in a private chat regarding any ailment or
medical concerns you may have and whether
acupuncture can be of benefit to you or a
loved one, simply download the acupuncture
is my life app from the google play store
at your earliest convenience. Now let's get
into the basic stages of a common cold. keep
in mind as I've discussed in previous episodes
on the common cold, the common cold can be
contagious as early as two days before a person
can actually present with symptoms..this is
why I see so many patients before cold and
flu season because most would like to nourish
their defensive qi in light of the fact..I
know some of you are wondering defensive qi?
What's that and how does it work? Well defensive
qi in chinese medicine is what protects the
body from being affected by exterior pathogenic
factors which is the main function of defensive
qi. For the most part, defensive qi continually
nourishes the exterior energetic layer of
the body. The strength of the defensive qi
determines our resistance to external pathogenic
factors such as wind, cold and dampness. Defensive
qi is closely connected to the lungs whereas
lung qi is what actually protects the body
from exterior pathogenic factors...now our
resistance to external pathogenic factors
relies on more than just the body's defensive
qi, our resistance also relies on nutritive
qi and kidney essence. Later in this discussion
I will go over a case I treated earlier in
the year in which I'd diagnosed a patient
with lung qi deficiency...now with the coming
cold and flu seasons, we have to push to avoid
spreading a cold by constantly washing our
hands, covering our nose and mouth when coughing
and sneezing. Now when it comes to the common
cold, there can generally be 3 stages where
the first stage which is usually days one
and two, you would experience a sense of stuffiness
with a runny nose and sore throat. A cold
can express itself with a number of different
symptoms, these are usually the first common
symptoms which serve as indicators of a virus
attacking your respiratory system. This is
the next best time to see an acupuncturist
to possibly minimize the amount of acupuncture
treatment sessions in order to expel the pathogen.
Now during days 3 through 5 the nasal congestion
gets worse and then there's the cough..now
at this point the pathogenic factors have
begun to inhibit the dispersing and descending
functions of lung qi and there you have it..coughing.
I had a patient earlier this year who I'd
diagnosed as having wind-cold attacking the
lung where she'd presented with an acute cough
that was constant, and there was thin clear
sputum and she'd had somewhat of an itchy
throat. There was aversion to cold but no
sweating, some body aches with a stuffy nose.
Her tongue appeared with a thin white coating
whereas these signs along with checking her
pulse I knew I had to release the exterior,
expel wind-cold, disperse lung qi to stop
the cough..but I won't go into treatment protocol
on this patient because I promised I'd discuss
a case of lung qi deficiency later in this
episode...now, back to days 3 to 5, nasal
symptoms tend to peak around this period where
you may notice your nasal discharge has become
much thicker and potentially with a yellow
or green tinge. This for the most part can
be attributed to an increased number of white
blood cells created by your immune system
to fight off this virus...this is why it's
good to see your acupuncturist before cold
and flu season so that the body may put up
a good fight against exterior pathogenic factors.
But as you get better over the next few days,
you'll notice your nasal discharge would begin
to clear up although a cough can remain because
of the potential for post-nasal drip as a
result of the healing process of irritated
nasal passages. Now on days 6 and 7, you should
begin to notice your symptoms are going away,
for some it can take as long as 10 days depending
on the strength of your defensive qi or should
I say immune system. Underlying health issues
such as diabetes, hypertension, heart problems,
obesity among others also play a part in the
recovery process. Sometimes having a cold
well beyond a week can be related to something
else whereas if there's any concern it's best
to consult with your primary care physician
at once. Now let's jump into one of my cases
of lung qi deficiency...now for those who
may be a bit confused at this point, take
a moment and view my episode on the functions
of the lung in chinese medicine or go to acupunctureismylife.com
and click on understanding acupuncture and
read about the lung in chinese medicine to
gain a clearer understanding as to what I'm
talking about. Now earlier this year I'd diagnosed
a patient as lung qi deficient of whom I still
see to this day because lung qi deficiency
in his case is as a chronic empty pattern
and this patient has a propensity for catching
colds. I'd educated him to the fact that in
chinese medicine, the lungs regulated to body's
protective qi so some of my treatment sessions
would focus on nourishing lung qi and others
would focus on nutritive qi as well as kidney
essence. The first few visits with this patient
he would present to my office as always being
tired with slight breathlessness, a weak voice
with a pale complexion. He'd stated that sometimes
there would be bouts of spontaneous sweating
but not much. His tongue would appear as pale
sometimes with a thin white coating. Now his
condition when he'd first come to my office
was as a result of exterior wind as a pathogenic
factor with a prolonged cough which induced
lung qi deficiency..so my initial focus was
to tonify lung qi by needling points on the
lung and bladder channels to tonify lung qi
as well as tonifying yin. I also needled points
on his stomach channel and conception vessel
to tonify his stomach and qi as well as tonify
his lungs. The patient's condition has greatly
improved and he comes in from time to time
for wellness visits and is glad he's been
doing so in light of the present pandemic.
I do remind him periodically to remain in
touch with his primary care physician if he
had any concerns at all as well as to keep
her informed as to his progress. Now again,
if you'd like to hold a private chat session
with acupuncture is my life to discuss any
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and until next time...acupuncture is my life...what's
yours?
