How To Have A Healthier Cold & Flu Season With Chinese Herbal Medicine & Acupuncture

By: Joe Recsnik L.Ac.

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During the months of September & October in Los Angeles, and where my clinic is located in Venice and Marina del Rey, we have endured some of our warmest weather of the year thus far. Besides dealing with very high temperatures, we’ve also been subjected to periods of high humidity, strong winds, and in some cases rain. Many of us are forced to run the air-conditioning at home nonstop, or have fans running full blast, or are dealing with bone chilling industrial A/C systems that have us at times feeling downright freezing cold. Simultaneously, over the last several weeks my patients have been reporting increased instances of cold and flu at home or in the workplace, and even COVID has made an unwelcome return visit to many over the summer.

Increased instances of cold and flu during periods of extreme weather are not coincidental occurrences.  From where I sit as a practitioner of Classical Chinese Medicine, exposure to varying weather patterns (even during the warmer months when we are constantly moving back-and-forth between hot temperatures outside and artificially cold or breezy temperatures indoors) make one particularly susceptible to coming down with cold and flu symptoms.

When it comes to understanding and maintaining best practices for overall health and well-being during cold & flu season, from a Classical Chinese Medicine perspective, one of the core concepts to know and understand are “external invasion” and “contracting wind cold” .

In Chinese medicine terminology, the various symptoms related to catching a cold or flu are due to “external invasion” and referred to as “contracting wind cold” 

The concept of “external invasion” states that when our body is exposed to certain environmental conditions (such as wind, cold, heat, dampness, and dryness), these factors can cause a sudden dysregulation of our body temperature. Sudden changes in body temperature (aka “contracting wind cold”) can subsequently lead to a weakening of our immune system and internal organ function. Thus, in contrast to a western medicine concept of cold and flu being the result of catching a particular virus or bacteria, the Chinese medicine concept of “external invasion” says that illnesses manifest when a sudden shift in body temperature creates an internal dysregulation which weakens our immune system (and internal organ function) and in turn lowers our resistance to viruses and bacteria that are ever present in our environment. The idea is that that under normal healthy circumstances, a healthy functioning immune system is naturally “antiviral” or “antibiotic”. Thus in classical Chinese medicine therapeutics, the treatment and resolution of cold & flu focuses on supporting and restoring the normal healthy function of the immune system and internal organs rather than focusing exclusively on “killing viruses” or “killing bacteria”.

Due to its highly individualized, patient centered, holistic approach, Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture treatments are extremely effective at treating cold and flu symptoms. From the time of acute onset (within the first 24 to 48 hours) Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture can often help to resolve cold and flu symptoms much faster than over-the-counter drugstore remedies. Additionally, Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture are very effective in resolving lingering symptoms related to the recovery of cold and flu such as cough, sinus congestion, ear problems, phlegm, breathing problems, digestive issues, headache, headaches, fatigue, etc. Even from a prevention and health maintenance standpoint, having acupuncture on a monthly basis or taking a customized herbal prescription on a seasonal basis can help keep your immune system strong and body systems regulated, in order to endure seasonal shifts and adapt to varying weather conditions more easily.

Empower your health by immediately recognizing and resolving “External Wind Cold Invasion” with Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture:

• Preliminary signs of wind cold invasion (first 24-36 hours) include: aversion to wind or cold, fever or chills, stiff neck, body aches, sweating, and/or vomiting.

• If left untreated in the initial 24-48 hour period, with each passing day the dysregulation of the initial attack can create further disruptions to bodily functions leading to manifestation of additional symptoms. Classical Chinese Medicine employs specific and uniquely different treatments according to which stage of illness the external wind cold invasion has progressed to.

• When external wind cold invasion is not treated in a timely fashion, further resulting health complications may include: headaches, sore throat, dizziness, ringing in the ears, dryness and pain of the eyes, bitter taste in the mouth, nausea, irregular sweating, and/or persistent or intermittent fevers.

• External wind cold invasion can often be a trigger factor for other underlying chronic illnesses. For instance, patients who have chronic underlying autoimmune or viral conditions may be more susceptible an activation or flare in the time immediately following a cold attack. Resolving a wind cold external invasion in a timely fashion lessens the likelihood of a cold and flu leading to further health complications in the weeks following an acute illness.

By mapping out your comprehensive symptom picture and incorporating other diagnostic methods such as classical pulse diagnosis, Classical Chinese Medicine is extremely effective to identify an individual’s “pattern of disharmony”. The “pattern of disharmony” pinpoints specifically which stage of cold and flu is occurring currently, and therefore informs which herbal formula and/or acupuncture point prescription will be most efficient and effective to resolve a particular combination of symptoms ASAP.

Next time you feel yourself coming down with a cold or flu, or are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above, don’t just “wait it out“. Do yourself a favor: schedule an herbal medicine consultation and/or acupuncture session and experience genuine healing and lasting relief in a matter of hours. Don’t suffer unnecessarily by waiting to see if your symptoms resolve on their own. Not only will feel better sooner, but in many cases your system is made stronger with the treatments and can be less susceptible to future recurrence. 

Wishing you a happy and healthy fall season, and I look forward to the opportunity to share the benefits of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine with you soon!

Sincerely,

Joe Recsnik MTOM, DCCM, FICEAM, L.Ac.

Licensed Chinese herbalist, acupuncturist, lead herbal pharmacist,

& Founder of POPULUSS Classical Eastern Healing

Proudly serving the nearby communities of Venice, Mar Vista, Inglewood, Ladera Heights, Palms, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Westwood, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Culver City, Playa Del Rey, Playa Vista, Westchester. LAX and Greater Los Angeles