Traditional Chinese medicine or TCM is extremely effective in treating all kinds of coughs due its specific distinction of the different kinds of coughs. For instance, coughing associated with heat, generates sticky phlegm which can be extremely difficult to cough out; in TCM, this type of cough is addressed with moistening, cooling herbs and acupuncture that expel heat from the lungs. Also, a cold-related cough, marked by chills and abundant mucus is treated through the administration of warming and drying herbs and the use of moxibustion.
Without the use of differentiation, the treatment can worsen the cough or lead to unfruitful results due to the technique’s ineffectiveness. Here are some of the diagnoses in Chinese medicine of the common types of coughs and their own corresponding modalities.
- Wind Dryness Cough – Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment Used
Most of the time,this type of cough is acquired after being exposed to a dry environment. It is different from a dry chronic cough brought about by deficient lung yin (commonly due to smoking). The air’s dryness in a wind dryness cough, enables the external negative effect of the dryness to infiltrate the lungs. This form of cough causes symptoms such as sore throat with a ticklish sensation,headaches, and a dry cough, lips and mouth.
The treatment’s objective is to resolve the adverse effect of the dryness, stopping the cough, and moistening the lungs. For this type of cough,herbal therapies may include herbal formulas such as Sang Hsing Tang (Decoction of Mulberry Leaf and Apricot Seed), Chuan Bei Pi Pa Gao and Chuan Bei Pi Pa Gao.
With regard to diet, a person with this type of cough may require drinking lots of liquids and soups. Once the condition is gone, the person should every day take Hsi yang shen or American ginseng for a few weeks to help tonify lung’s yin and qi and stave off any future attack.
- Cold or Damp Phlegm Cough – Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment Used
This condition type is marked by persistent coughing that coughs out abundant amounts of sticky white/clear phlegm, which tends to increase post meals or in the morning. Additional symptoms are a sensation of fullness in the stomach or chest, a heavy sensation, fatigue, weak appetite, and nausea. For this syndrome,the treatment’s goal is to boost digestion and expel phlegm from the lungs since an underlying deficient spleen qi can activate an overproduction of mucus.
Er Chen Tang or “Decoction of Two Old Things” is a classic formula plus additional herbs are prescribed to warm the lungs and kill the pathogen. If Cold or Damp Phlegm Cough is accompanied by nasal congestion, headache, stiff neck and other symptoms of wind-cold, then ChuanHsiong Cha Chao Wan, a patent medicine may be prescribed.
Chinese nutritional therapists may advise people with this syndrome to avoid eating foods that produce mucus in the body. These include dairy products, sweets and cold foods. Foods good for this condition include vegetables, whole grains, hot soups, raw juices in small amount (at room temperature) to help moisten the lungs and to trigger coughing (expectoration). Cold or Damp Phlegm Cough sufferers need to keep warm, get lots of rest and drink a lot of hot liquids, especially ginger tea. For this condition, hot vegetable soup is highly recommended.
- Hot Phlegm Cough – Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment Used
This syndrome type of cough causes a buildup of phlegm and the heat causes the phlegm to turn sticky and thick. This syndrome can produce a loud, barking cough. The heat gives a dark coloration of the phlegm, which may ranges from yellow to brown or green. It’s quite difficult to expectorate the phlegm and this type of cough may require an aggressive therapy since the green color may indicate infection. When the mucus enters the lungs, bacteria can easily infect the mucus, which makes it extremely important to remove the mucus. Inducing expectoration and expelling the mucus can be achieved by using herbs that moisten the lungs.
The Pinellia Expectorant Pills an ideal herbal formula for treating hot phlegm cough. This formula can come other names, like Ching Chi Hua Tan Wan or Pinellia Root Teapills. The Pinellia Expectorant Pills works better when taken alongside Yin ChiaoJie Du Pian or Gan Mao Ling. Chinese nutritional therapy is similar to cold or damp phlegm cough.
Treatment Plan for Cough
Within a week, the acute cough of cough sufferers will not respond to the above mentioned treatments if they don’t get some rest and modify their diet. This can cause the cough to last for weeks, and the end result will be a series of colds and a weakened immunity. Acupuncture treatment in Cleveland works great for coughs due to any cause. Placing acupuncture needle in to points related to the Conception Vessel point found above the sternum can immediately stop the cough and help the patient breathing much better. Ina damp, cold form of cough, moxibustion is usually applied since heat is needed for that pattern.