Colds Flu Symptoms: Prevention and Treatment in Oriental Medicine

December 12, 2007 – 4:15 pm

Introduction
I recently gave a presentation at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine’s (PCOM) Chinese New Year Open House. I was in good company; Professor Lynda Harvey, L.Ac., OMD, Rick Gold, L.Ac., Thai Massage expert and founder of PCOM, Professor Greg Bantick, L.Ac., and Alex Tiberi, L.Ac., another PCOM founder and a Pediatric specialist. My talk was titled “The Prevention and Treatment of Colds and Flu’s in Oriental Medicine (OM).”

Since almost everyone gets sick, and since I’ve found so many great resources and facts in researching the topic, I’ve decided to organize that info and get it out to all of you!

What this Cold and Flu resource will cover:

A Comparison of Biomedical and OM (Oriental Medical) views
Why We Get Sick
The Immune System & Oriental Medicine
Recognizing Sickness Sooner and Nipping it in the Bud
Natural Treatments: Chinese Herbs and Kitchen Medicine
Prevention Strategies

SOME PREVIEWS of Cold and Flu Topics:

Prevention AND Treatment (Why not just Prevention?)
It is impossible to prevent getting colds; it is our normal relationship to our environment. However, it is not necessary to have symptoms to get over them. Biomedical research has shown that 95% of people exposed to rhinoviruses (’nose viruses’) get sick, but that 25% of them do not have symptoms. These people’s immune systems are still fighting, but without creating the uncomfortable symptoms.

Recognizing Sickness Sooner and Nipping it in the Bud
Whether you call it prevention or treatment, we will talk about nipping colds and flu’s in the bud (not allowing them to get too serious). And I will talk about the various ways colds and flu’s present.

Natural Treatments: Chinese Herbs and Kitchen Medicine
This topic will cover: The normal course of colds and flus vs what it’s like when treated with Chinese Herbs, Reasons for lingering sickness, Should I see my OM practitioner if I get sick before my appointment? Treating the Root and the Branch, Basic Formulas, the Ma Huang (ephedra) Contraversy, the Importance of Taking the Right Herbs, Chinese Herbs vs. western herbs vs. pharmaceuticals, Side Effects, Chinese Herbs success and clinical research (including HIV, HCV), Chinese herbs and bacteria and viruses, Stimulating and strengthening the immune system (wei qi), Typical OTC remedies, & Kitchen Medicine.

Next:
Colds Flu II: Antibiotic Resistance, Herbs, and Oriental Medicine Concepts of Immunity

Tags: cold, flu, Oriental medicine