Food Therapy for Colds & Flus

RICE PORRIDGE (a.k.a. congee, or zhou in Mandarin Chinese, or jook in Cantonese) is a popular -- and DELICIOUS -- breakfast food in China.

It is also a great food to eat when you have a cold or flu.

When you're sick, your body's energy is compromised. It's working hard to fight off an infection.

The key to eating when you're sick is to support your body's innate mechanism for healing. Eat warm, cooked, easy-to-digest foods so your digestive system does not have to do extra work. Rice porridge (jook) is the perfect food to eat when you're sick because it's warm, easy to digest and gently tonifies your body's Qi and nourishes body fluids without producing phlegm. When prepared with mildly pungent herbs, jook produces a slight sweat, helping the body to rid itself of invading cold or flu pathogens.

When you're just coming down with a new cold or flu, I recommend the following home-treatment protocol:

1. Take a dose of herbal medicine (see my article on Chinese patent herbal cold remedies).

2. Eat a cupful of hot rice porridge (see recipes below).

3. Go to bed. Cover yourself with a warm blanket. Rest. Allow yourself to sweat slightly.

WHAT ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP?

Chicken soup (and other animal protein, for that matter) is very tonifying. It is excellent for rebuilding strength and stamina in cases of long-term, chronic illness and debility or in the recovery stages of a cold or flu.

In the early stages of a cold/flu, however, I would recommend eating plain rice porridge--without meat. Why? Because meat is tonifying and because it requires energy to digest. In the early stage of cold or flu, we want to be cautious not to add fuel to the cold and flu pathogens, and not to overtax the body's innate energy with difficult-to-digest foods.

Within in 2-3 days of fighting a cold, or as the cold begins to clear, your body will need to rebuild it energy. At this time, it's a great idea to begin incorporating bone broth, meat, eggs and other protein sources into your jooks. You can even poach meats or eggs in the jook in the late stages of cooking if your porridge is thin & liquid enough. This is a common practice in China.

WHAT NOT TO EAT WHEN YOU'RE SICK WITH A COLD OR FLU:

• cold foods (ice cream, yogurt, sodas, etc.)

• difficult to digest foods (again, cold foods, meats, greasy foods, anything with complex flavor or texture, even wheat or other complex grains that are harder to digest)

• sour foods (The sour flavor is an astringent and acts to hold things in the body, including cold or flu pathogens.)

• sweet foods (The sweet flavor is a tonic and will increase the vigor of invading pathogens. Sweet foods also increase phlegm, damp and heat in the body providing a habitat conducive to the proliferation of virus, as well as bacteria, fungal overgrowth, etc.)

So, contrary to the popular American notion, orange juice is NOT a good choice when you have a cold. It's sour, sweet and phlegm-producing. It may contain a nominal amount of Vitamin C, but it will also entrap and strengthen viruses and other pathogens in your body.

Here are FOUR Rice Porridge Recipes Useful in Home-Treatment of Colds, Flus and Other Acute Bugs:

BASIC JOOK RECIPE:

1 cup of white rice

8-15 cups water (more water for thinner consistency)

Bring water & rice to boil in a pot. Then reduce to low heat and simmer, covered, for 1 ½-2 hours. Stir occasionally. The result will be a dilute rice soup. Mix it with a wire whisk to enhance the smooth, creamy quality. Season with a small amount of salt or soy sauce & pepper.

(For quicker preparation, use leftover cooked rice. In a pot, add 6 cups of water to 1 cup of cooked rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for 1/2 hour.)

FRESH GINGER & SCALLION JOOK -- for new onset of cold or flu:

Prepare basic jook. Then add the following fresh herbs in the last five minutes of cooking:

freshly grated ginger

finely chopped scallions (especially the little white root hairs)

Don't overcook the herbs. Their fresh, pungent quality will help your body push out cold/flu pathogens through sweat. They also ease nasal congestion and stomach/abdominal pain.

If you don't have scallions & ginger on hand, you can achieve a similar effect simply by adding 1-2cups of peppermint or chamomile tea to the your porridge toward the end of cooking. Peppermint & chamomile are cooling, but their spicy quality will help release pathogens from the body.

FERMENTED SOYBEAN & SCALLION JOOK -- early-stage cold/flu with mild fever, nasal congestion, irritability, insomnia, or digestive upset:
This is another famous recipe for treating early-stage cold or flu. Fermented soybeans (dan dou chi is the Chinese herbal name) help the body expel cold and flu pathogens. They also soothe dryness, irritability, restlessness and insomnia that sometimes result from fever. Together, fermented soybeans & fresh scallions treat colds & flu with fever, stuffy nose and upset stomach.

Note: Fermented soybeans inhibit lactation and should not be used by nursing moms.

2-3 scallions coarsely chopped

2 Tbsp. fermented soybeans (available in Chinese herb shop, or ask your acupuncturist)

2-3 cups of water

Simmer herbs in water 1/2 hour. Then, remove herb parts and stir the remaining liquid into your congee toward the end of cooking.

HONEYSUCKLE JOOK -- for cold or flu with secondary infections: bronchitis, pneumonia, dyssentary, acute sore throat, eye inflammation:

This famous jook recipe clears heat and toxins, attacks germs and disperses inflammation. It is useful for conditions secondary to cold and flu viruses like pneumonia or bronchitis. It also treats acute bacterial dysentery. Honeysuckle flowers (Flos Lonicerae or jin yin hua) clear infections characterized by heat and inflammation, including acute swollen sore throat, absesses and acute eye inflammation.

1/2 cup of dried honeysuckle flowers (available in Chinese herb shop, or ask your acupuncturist)

2-3 cups of water

Simmer herbs in water 1/2 hour. Then, remove herb parts and stir the remaining liquid into your congee toward the end of cooking.

UME & GINGER JOOK -- for recovery from "stomach flu:"

This recipe is not exactly for cold or flu therapy. It is helpful in recovery from those 24-hour "stomach flu" episodes. It stops dysentery and diarrhea, epigastric and intestinal cramping, and colitis, while helping the body rebuild its fluids and alleviate dry mouth. Umeboshi are preserved pickled plums, popular in Japanese cooking. They can be found in health food stores. In Chinese medicine, umeboshi plums (known as wu mei) are famous for their ability to expel worm and parasite infestations, as well as to rebuild the body post-illness.

1 cup rice

8 cups water

4-5 umeboshi plums (available at health food stores)

5 slices fresh ginger

Bring to boil in a pot. Then reduce to low heat and simmer, covered, for 1 ½-2 hours, stirring frequently. In cases of severe "stomach flu" with vomiting, diarrhea or dysentery, eat this food exclusively until urine runs clear and symptoms abate.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Rice Porridge and Cold/Flu Treatment in Early Chinese Medical Literature

The Discussion of Cold-Induced Diseases (or Shang Han Lun), written by the physician Zhang Zhong Jing around 220CE, is one of the oldest clinical medicine textbooks in the world. In this work, we find one of the early systematic discussions of externally-contracted infectious disease in Chinese medicine.

In the Shang Han Lun, Dr. Zhang gives instructions for administering a simple herbal formula for an early stage cold or flu (which in his framework is tai yang syndrome or invasion of wind-cold into the outermost surface of the body, causing chills, slight fever, mild sweating and nasal congestion.) Dr. Zhang's formula for this syndrome is cinnamon twigs, peony root, licorice root, fresh ginger and jujube dates.

The second part of Dr. Zhang's instructions, however, relate speficially to food intake. Dr. Zhang writes, shortly after taking the first dose of herbal decoction, the patient should take a small amount of “hot thin [rice] gruel to reinforce the strength of the medicinals.” Next, the patient should warm his/her body by covering with a blanket to induce a mild sweat, in order to eliminate the disease.

Finally, this set of instructions ends with a list of the foods which the patient should NOT eat while treating an early stage cold or flu. He writes, “Foods contraindicated include raw and cold foods, sticky and slimy foods, meats and noodles, the five acrids, liquor, mild products, and foods with a peculiar or spoiled flavor or odor.

These are very old instructions. But they are still applicable to home treatment of early-stage colds & flus or, for that matter, with a little modification, any acute or chronic illness. (For more historical perspective on Chinese medical theory of colds & flus, see my previous article.)

WHY RICE PORRIDGE?

An important theme in Chinese medicine is that efficient digestion is the root of good health, and that warmth is required for good digestion. According to Chinese medicine theory, the digestive process begins with the Stomach turning ingested food into a warm mash or soup. The warmth for this process is provided by the Yang Qi of the Spleen. Until food is turned into a warm mash, no further digestion can take place. As the process of digestion continues, food is turned by the body into the precious substances of Qi and Blood which drive all physiological function.

The take-home messages here are that digestion requires energy from the body's organs and warmth. So, the simpler a food is and the closer it is to a 100-degree-Fahrenheit soup, the more easily digestible it is, and the more easily it is transformed into Qi and Blood to build the body and fuel its activities, including recovery from illness.

On the other hand, cold and uncooked foods place a tremendous burden on the body and particularly on the Spleen. Since the health of the Spleen Qi is critical to the health of the Lungs and the immune system, one can see that eating raw, cold foods would be a bad choice when you're fighting a cold or flu.

Jook or congee actually refers to porridge made from a single grain or combination of grains, beans, vegetables, animal proteins or herbs. But, most of the time, jook is made from rice. Rice, itself has a variety of medicinal benefits. In particular, it tonifies the Spleen, Stomach and Intestines, supporting the digestive process. The liquid quality of rice porridge helps moisten the fluids of the stomach and intestines which tend to become depleted in old age and due to chronic illness. Rice porridge is beneficial to anyone with weak digestion, including small children and elderly people.

To read more about the benefits of rice porridge, check out Bob Flaws' book The Book of Jook. Along with some interesting theory, it contains of jook recipes for all sorts of medical conditions. Many of these are rooted in hundreds of years of history and come from the writings and clinics of famous Chinese doctors. The book is a pretty easy read, and quite accessible as a cookbook!

GET SUPPORT FROM YOUR ACUPUNCTURIST!

Food is the basis of good health. I love talking about food and cooking, and am happy to consult with patients about food, nutrition and cooking techniques to support your path toward greater wellness. I'm also happy to provide herbs and advice for medicinal cooking with Chinese herbs.

References:

Coursework with Briahn Kelly-Brennan, City College of San Francisco, 2002.

Dr. Robert Zeiger, OMD, L.Ac., Pharm D., Berkeley, CA.

Flaws, Bob. The Book of Jook. Boulder: Blue Poppy Press, Inc., 1995.

Bensky & Gamble. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Revised Ed. Seattle: Eastland Press, Inc., 1986.

Mitchell, Ye & Wiseman. Shang Han Lun: On Cold Damage, Translation & Commentaries. Brookline, Mass: Paradigm Publications, 1999.

Chinese Patent Formulas for Prevention & Early-Stage Treatment of Colds & Flus

In this article I attempt to demystify a few of the most common patent Chinese herbal formulas for prevention & treatment of early stage colds & flu so that you, the layperson, can take advantage of these useful medicinals to protect yourself & your family from icky wintertime bugs.

First, a word about how Chinese herbs are adminstered:

Herbalists who work with Chinese herbs typically administer herbal treatments to patients in three basic ways: raw herbs, powder concentrates and patent formulas. Raw herbs need to be boiled for a period of time (20-40 minutes) with water in a teapot and drunken as a decoction. Powder concentrates are mixed with warm water and drunken as a tea. Patent formulas come in the form of "tea pills" or tablets and are the most easy and convenient to take.

Raw herbs and powder concentrates are superior in that they offer the clinical herbalist much more flexibility. TCM herbalists recognize that each patient has a unique constitution and a unique set of presenting symptoms. Working with raw herbs or powders, we mix and match individual herbs to specifically address the underlying imbalance giving rise to illness symptoms.

Patent herb formulas (tea pills or tablets) offer somewhat less flexibility because they are a pre-formulated blend of herbs. Nevertheless, there are a great variety of patent formulas, so it's usually possible to find something to address a patient's condition.

Usually patents based on age-old traditional formulas developed by expert physicians of previous centuries. Often the precise blends of herbs in the formula have been updated with the addition of one or two herbs (or minerals or other medicinals) to meet modern conditions, or in line with modern discoveries about certain medicinals.

The point is, in prescribing patent formulas, you have to match a whole formula to a patient, and sometimes the fit isn't as perfect as if you were designing a formula from individual herbs. But, patent formulas often serve the purpose in acute situations.

It can be useful for the layperson to be familiar with a few patent formulas---such as for traumatic injury or for cold and flu prevention. In terms of cold and flu remedies, for busy, on-the-go folks, I highly recommend carrying a small bottle bottle of one of these formulas with you in your purse or in the car, especially during the winter months.

These formulas are easy to find in the Bay Area, and probably in most other U.S. cities, as well.

When taken at first sign of a cold or flu, they have a remarkable ability to stop, moderate or shorten the duration of an upper respiratory tract infection (URI).

Your TCM herbalist can recommend patent formulas for you to have on hand in your home or in your purse. In this article, I introduce a few easy common cold/flu formulas and home remedies.

Theoretical Framework for Patent Cold Formulas:

Traditional Chinese herbalist treating patients for upper-respiratory tract infections, might have an arsenal of 300 herbs to choose from, and would combine these herbs into a specific blend precisely addressing each patient's constitution and unique presentation of symptoms.

In self-treatment with patent formulas, the lay person does not have the range of options, or the diagnostic skills, that were/are available to the traditional herbalist. However, patent formulas can still be used with excellent effect to ward off infections, moderate symptoms, and shorten the duration of illness.

To understand how Chinese herbs work in treating colds, it is useful to be familiar with Chinese medical theories on upper respiratory tract infections. For more details on these, please see my article, "Cold & Flu: Traditional Chinese Perspectives Summarized."

Suffice it to say that initial onset of a new cold or flu infection is regarded, in TCM, as an invasion of exterior pathogenic “wind” into the surface levels of the body. Clinically, it is treated with spicy herbs which induce a mild sweat in order to expel the invading pathogen from the body via the skin and flesh. The herbs used may be “warm” or “cold,” energetically, depending on the presentation of symptoms in a particular patient—i.e. whether the invading pathogen is “wind-heat” or “wind-cold.”

In the U.S., most URIs manifest as either “wind-heat” or a combination of “wind-heat-wind-cold,” very rarely as pure “wind-cold.” Also, most URIs also have an element of “toxic-heat,” the traditional Chinese medicine phrase used for heat symptoms caused by an infectious pathogen. Concretely, most URIs, within a day or two of onset at least, produce symptoms of heat (sore throat, mild fever, dark-colored mucous secretions, thirst, etc.) We also know that the viruses which cause these hot infections enter the body through the patient's nose and mouth, putting the resulting illness into the traditional category of “warm-febrile” disease.

So, the categories of herbs from the Chinese pharmacopeia which are generally useful in treating early stage URIs are the aforereferenced “cool, spicy exterior-releasing,” as well as a category of herbs useful in treating “warm-febrile” diseases. Herbs from this latter category are cold, bitter and eliminate heat toxins through the urine. In biomedical terms, these herbs are strongly anti-viral.

Here, then, are three patent formulas to choose from :

1. YIN QIAO SAN

(marketed with variable titles, depending on the translation from Chinese: Yin Chao, Yin Qiao Jie Du Pian, or Yin Chiao Chieh Tu Pien)

named for the two main herbs in the formula, a famous pair for releasing exterior heat & clearing heat toxins:

jin yin hua (honeysuckle flower, pictured left below)

lian qiao (forsythia fuit, pictured in dried form, right below)

Yin Qiao San, or “yin qiao” as it's familiarly referred to in US health food stores, might be the most widely-known Chinese patent formula among the general US population. “Yin Qiao” is most effective when taken at the very first signs of a new cold or flu, i.e. when you first feel that slight dryness or tickle in your throat. It looses its effectiveness if the infection lasts longer than a day or two , at which point, you'd want to begin using another herbal formula.

Yin Qiao functions to dispel wind-heat invasion in its early stages and to clear toxic heat. Symptoms might include low-grade fever; mild or no chills; scratchy or sore throat; sudden fatigue; swollen lymph nodes; headache; thirst; nasal congestion; slight dry cough or cough with a small amount of yellow phlegm; sneezing; red irritated eyes. (To more effectively treat acute sore throat, you can combine with other appropriate patent herb formulas.)

Incidentally, yin qiao san is also useful in treating itchy red skin rashes (especially those which appear suddenly & move around quickly, especially in the upper body) and acute inflammation of the eye (conjunctivitis), because these conditions are also often manifestations of surface-level wind-heat invasion and heat-toxin.

The individual herbs in yin qiao san function to release pathogens from the exterior level of the body through mild sweating, clear toxic heat through the urine, restore proper function to the lungs and sinuses, and cool sore throat. A few herbs in the formula also help the body to generate fluids in order to alleviate thirst & dryness of tissues which was conducive to contraction of a viral infection in the first place.

2. SANG JU YIN

named for the two chief herbs in the formula, a famous combination for releasing exterior heat:

sang ye (white mulberry leaf, left below)

ju hua (chrysanthemum flower, right below)

This formula is closely related to the above-mentioned yin qiao san formula and, in fact, contains many of the same ingredients. What distinguishes sang ju yin is that it is more effective for treating cough and moistening the lungs in the early stages of a URI. Take this formula if you have a cold or flu that starts out with coughing, accompanied by mild fever or thirst, or if dry hacking cough characterizes the early stages of your illness. Other symptoms might include slight fever; sore throat; or red, burning, itchy or weepy eyes. Like yin qiao san, this formula also treats the initial stages of colds and flus, and is less effective for later stages of these viruses.

San ju yin would also be my first choice in treating acute conjunctivitis if the eye is red & inflamed. Chrysanthemum flower, one of the formula's chief ingredients, is famous for its ability to cool and clear the eyes.

The herbs in sang ju yin function to release exterior wind-heat and also to disperse & descend congested Lung Qi to stop cough.

3. GAN MAO LING

Translated as “Miraculous Cold Pills,” these are great to have on hand at home or when you're out. While yin qiao san or sang ju yin work great when taken at the first sign of a cold characterized by heat signs (sore throat or coughing, respectively), gan mao ling has a bit more flexibility. First, it is a good general formula for all external wind patterns (either wind-heat, mild wind-cold or mixed). Second, compared to the first two formulas, you can take gan mao ling with good effect beyond the initial stages of the infection. It is more effective for an entrenched cold or flu with achy body, mucus congestion, etc.

Compared to the first two formulas, gan mao ling contains more herbs that clear toxic heat and are strongly anti-viral (English Holly, wild chrysanthemum, isatis root, honeysuckle flower, etc.).

Isatis plant, below, with dried root parts pictured at right:

Indications for gan mao ling include fever, mild chills; scratchy or sore throat; sudden fatigue; swollen lymph glands; thirst; sore neck and shoulders; generalized body aches; headache; nasal congestion; cough with white or yellow mucus.

Early-stage Home Remedy for Wind-Cold Invasion:

Finally, what to do if you're coming down with a cold and you don't have any heat signs? Perhaps you're getting sick & you simply feel chilled. No fever, no sore throat, no thirst. Perhaps you've been out in cold wind or rain. In this case, I would recommend a famous home remedy: tea fresh scallions & ginger.

Combine:

1-2 scallions, coarsely chopped

(Be sure the include the white hair-like roots of the scallion. They are the most medicinally important part in this case.)

3-5 1/4-inch slices of fresh ginger, peeled (as pictured at right)

2-3 cups water

Simmer 10 minutes to ½ hour. Strain & drink the liquid, then bundle up warmly and go to bed. The tea and the bedcovers will induce a mild sweat, helping to push the cold/flu pathogen out of your body. It is important, then, to rest and sleep, to help your body fight off infection.

I try to always have fresh ginger & scallions in the fridge, especially in fall and winter.

What Brand of Patent Formulas Should I Buy?

If you shop for patent formulas in Chinatown, you'll find many different brands from different manufacturers. There are also several different reputable companies marketing Chinese patent formulas to western health food store consumers.

One company I highly recommend for patent formulas is Mayway Corporation. Mayway is a multi-generation, family-owned Bay Area Green Business based in Oakland, CA . Mayway has a liaison office in Beijing and an herb processing facility in Anguo, China. Mayway's products are rigorously tested for quality and purity. For more information, see Mayway's website, www.mayway.com.

For at home or on-the-go use, I recommend Yin Qiao San (marketed as Yin Chiao Chieh Tu Pien), Sang Ju Yin (marketed as Clear Wind-Heat Teapills) and Gan Mao Ling from Mayway's Plum Flower line of products. (Photos above are all Mayway products).

Another excellent Oakland-based herb company is Health Concerns. Health Concerns sells a tincture called Yin Chao Jr., which is a pediatric formulation of Yin Qian San, often available in Bay Area health food stores. They sell cold/flu prevention & treatment formulas, including Chinese & western herbs, under a variety of product names. See www.healthconcerns.com.

There are a lot of great products out there, with many subtle variations among them. I am happy to help you find patent herb formulas that are right for you. (And, for the record, I have no official relationship with either Mayway Corp or Health Concerns.)

What Sorts of Herb Formulas Can I Give to My Child?

It is generally safe to administer all of the patent formulas discussed in this article to children, especially if the formulas come from reputable manufacturers like the ones mentioned above. Generally, one would use a smaller dose. Getting your kid to take formulas in pill form can be a challenge of course.

A few U.S. companies manufacture pediatric Chinese herbal formulas in tincture form, such as Health Concerns' Yin Qiao Jr., mentioned above (pictured at left).

In my practice, I stock a full line of palatable pediatric Chinese herbal tinctures from Kan Herb Co. called "Gentle Warriors." This line includes formulas for cold/flu treatment & prevention, as well as for secondary syndrome including asthma, bronchitis, ear infections, sinus congestions, eczema, diarrhea, digestive weakness, etc.

I keep several of these Gentle Warriors on hand. Fortunately, my daughter loves taking them.

Simple herbal infusions, drunken a luke-warm teas, are also nice for children with colds. Use common herbs like peppermint, chamomile, thyme, sage, chrysanthemum, elder berries, elder flowers, etc.

I am happy to consult further about Chinese herbal treatment for babies and children.

What About Western Herbal Formulations like Echinacea & Goldenseal for Cold and Flu Prevention?

Western herbs like echinacea, goldenseal, elder berries, etc. have comparable properties to the herbs used in the patent formulas described above. Formulations of these herbs can be equally useful in warding off or shortening the duration of upper respiratory tract infections. Supplements like Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Zinc have also been shown to be helpful in preventing & shortening duration of viral URIs.

It can be useful periodically to change the herbs you are using. For instance, if you've used echinacea to treat your last three colds, the herb might begin to lose its effectiveness for your body. It could be useful to switch to using one of the Chinese formulations for a time. And, vice versa, if you've been using yin qiao san at the first sign of a cold for the last several months, you might want to pick up a bottle of echinacea next time you're in the health food store.

Long-Term Use of Patent Cold Formulas?

The herbs contained in the Chinese patent formulas discussed in this article are mostly cold and bitter, as are echinacea and goldenseal. Cold, bitter herbs, when used over a prolonged period of time, according to TCM, damage the organs of body (especially the Spleen). They can easily weaken digestion and impair the body's energy. In western naturopathic terms, cold bitter herbs will impair and eliminate the body's beneficial microorganisms, just as antibiotic drugs do, but in a milder manner. The first sign of the negative effects of cold, bitter herbs is usually loose stools.

These formulas should only be taken short-term—at the first sign of a cold or flu, or during the first days of a URI. It can also be useful to take a dose of yin qiao san once per week, prophylactically, during the cold and flu season, especially if you are frequently exposed to colds and flus (i.e. teachers, daycare workers, preschool moms, etc.)

These formula are designed to quickly rid pathogens from the body by making the body tissues less hospitable to microbes. They do not, however, build the immune system.

A TCM practitioner can help you build your immune system to prevent cold and flu infections with acupuncture and/or herbal formulas which tonify and balance your physiology. Getting adequate rest and eating warm, cooked foods also helps build your immunity to colds and flus.

For more ideas see my article, "Winter Cold & Flu Prevention: Eight Simple Lifestyle Adjustments."

Treatment of Secondary Symptoms of URIs

Cold and flu patients usually develop a variety of unpleasant secondary symptoms depending on the nature of the virus they've contracted, as well as their individual constitutional strengths and weaknesses. Symptoms include nasal congestion or runny nose, sneezing, cough, sinus infections, ear infections, etc.

Excellent patent formulas are available to alleviate secondary symptoms, as well as to fight cold viruses as they penetrate more deeply into the body. These formulas are outside the scope of this article.

An acupuncturist or herbalist will be happy to help you in alleviating URI symptoms.

What if my Cold Prevention Strategy Doesn't Work?

Sometimes we still get knocked out by a cold or flu despite our efforts to head it off with herbs, rest and other therapies. Colds are miserable, and they suck a lot of time from our schedule. In patients with compromised immune systems, or with tendencies to develop bronchitis, catching a cold can be a significant health risk.

In general, however, suffering a cold or flu can have therapeutic value. We often catch colds when we are over-scheduled, not resting enough, or eating too much unhealthy food. Being sick tends to re-calibrate our systems, forcing us to drop activities, get rest and clean out our diets in order to restore our health. Research suggests that our immune systems are strengthened when as they fight and kick out cold or flu viruses. On a spiritual level, illness forces us to reevaluate our priorities. For these reasons, though they may feel miserable in the moment, being struck down by an occasional cold and flu may not be such a bad thing.

Along this line, one of the bloggers I follow just published a fun article entitled "Do Healthy Kids Get Sick?" She likens illness to housecleaning for the body, and suggests that we may not always want to suppress cold and flu symptoms. Something to consider....

It is also advisable to use herbs to rebuild your body after a cold or flu infection, since these viruses often weaken the body's qi and yin making the body slightly more vulnerable to future infections of long-term chronic illness. Once again, keep in mind that each individual has a unique constitution and a unique set of symptoms. It is best to consult your acupuncturist who can formulate a treatment that will be most effective for you, in the short term and in the long term.