Question:
What can be done for this severe flu season we keep hearing about?
Answer:
Although “experts” in the news tell us this will be the most severe flu season in recent history, the official flu information site of the US Dept of Health and Human Services (flu.gov) says the timing and severity of this season’s flu are unknown at this time. This season is complicated, because we have not only the “normal” seasonal flu, but also the H1N1 (“swine flu”), which sickened people as early as spring and summer and continues. The Feds tell us the best way to avoid any flu is to be vaccinated against both types. But many people have been unable to get access to the H1N1 vaccine, and the drug companies are struggling to produce enough for the need. Whether one chooses to receive a vaccine is a personal choice, to be decided with the help of one’s physician.
What I do know is that Chinese medicine unquestionably treats the symptoms of the common cold and flu, and definitely affects the course of these illnesses. In this article, I will discuss the most important ideas to keep in mind when treating colds and flu.
First, in terms of prevention, people who feel they will be exposed, or have been exposed, or whose health is compromised in any way (asthma sufferers, for example), can take Jade Windscreen Powder (Yu Ping Feng San: Huang Qi, Bai Zhu and Fang Feng) in decoction or tincture form. But, H1N1 is affecting healthy people as well as compromised people, so it may be that boosting the immune system won’t be effective against this flu. Second, in terms of treatment, the most important factor in any cold or flu is to begin treatment immediately, at the first sign of symptoms, the very same day if possible. This will insure that you have the best chance to expel the pathogenic factor before it has a chance to establish itself and travel deeper. The concept of “expelling the pathogen” has no equivalent in Western medicine, but it is a hugely important concept in Chinese medicine. In my experience, treating a cold or flu at the earliest point after onset makes the difference between an illness that is mild, lasts 2-3 days and resolves with no residual effects, and an illness that is severe, lingers for days or weeks and settles into the chest.
Of course, it is important to make the correct diagnosis. If you diagnose a wind/cold condition as a wind/heat condition, a common mistake in our climate, you will not only have little success with your formula, but you will waste time achieving nothing. If within one day of starting treatment, the condition is not improving, assume you need to revise your diagnosis. A 60 year-old male patient complained simply that he was “not feeling well” and that his throat felt “sore.” I assumed he had “wind/heat” because of the “sore throat” and I gave him a cooling diaphoretic formula with added Xuan Shen and Ban Lan Gen. The next day, he felt worse and also complained of muscle aches in the upper back and a stiff neck. I decided to change my thinking, and I used a version of Ren Shen Bai Du San, with Chuan Xiong, Qiang Huo and Du Huo being critical. He began to improve within a day and by day three, he was mostly recovered.
In my opinion, raw herb decoctions have the strength and the flexibility to handle these conditions best. Of course, patients should see a qualified herbalist for proper diagnosis and treatment.
If you have questions for Julie, please feel free to submit them directly to Julie Chambers