In the past two years we have been treating many patient complaining of a cough, especially during and after a viral/bacterial infections. Chinese Medicine has a long history of being very successful in treating cough! Not all coughs are the same and the power of Chinese Medicine treatment is when we are able to differentiate the type of coughs according to their clinical presentations. Below are some common cough patterns and common treatments.
Cough caused by external pathogens:
Cold cough: often seen in cold weather. This type of cough gets worse with coldness, for example, cold food/drinks, cold air. Patient with this type of cough usually have white/clear watery phlegm, and perhaps a pale complexion, and are sensitive to cold air or cold food, muscle tensions. They might also have sinus congestion or post-nasal drips. Herbs such as ge gen, gui zhi, zi su ye, gan jiang, etc. are used to treat this type of cough.
Heat cough: often seen in hot weather. This type of cough that gets worse with heat. Patient with this type of cough often have yellow or darker color phlegm. Patients might have more thirst, irritabilities, redder face or tongue, or even a sore throat, sweat more. Herbs such as sang ye, ju huan, sang ye, huang qin, she gan, xuan shen…etc are used to treat this type of cough.
Dry cough: often seen in allergy season or during the recovery phase. This type of cough can be more common that you expect in the San Francisco Bay area as our climate can be quite dry in the summer and fall. The patient might have a scratch throat, dry air pathway, and feels irritable. Herbs such as bai he, mai dong, xing ren, sha shen, etc. are used to treat this type of cough.
Chronic cough: if a cough cause by external pathogens that was not treated properly, it can damage internal organ system and turn into chronic cough. this is an especially common cough after a viral/bacterial infection. Herbs such as bai he, xing ren, gan cao, zi wan, etc.
Food that should be avoided when you have a cough that can make it worse or harder to clear:
Cold food- can cause airway muscle spasm and can irritate respiratory system.
Greasy food- harder to digest and can instantly create more phlegm.
Raw food- especially raw protein, they are harder to digest.
Processed food and sugary food: can create more phlegm and cause more inflammation.
Seafoods: Fish and shellfish are potent allergens that can provoke serious IgE antibody-mediated adverse reactions in sensitive individuals, and that can make cough worse.
Spicy food: irritate the respiratory system.
Common acupuncture points used to treat cough are: Lung 7, Ren 17, Lung 9, Lung 3, Ding Chuan, Stomach 40, etc.
So next time if you or you know someone who is suffering from coughing, come get a treatment!