Influenza in Natural Health

Overview

Colds are virus-infected diseases in the upper respiratory tract and are classified as common colds and influenza. They are mainly manifested as nasal stuffiness and nasal discharge, sneezing, cough, aversion to cold, fever, headache and general aching. Common cold, usually mild, results from rhinovirus infection and is characterized mainly by nasal symptoms. With high morbidity and repeated infection tendency, a common cold may occur all year round but mainly in winter and spring. But influenza, usually widespread, is due to influenza virus infection and has pronounced systemic toxic symptoms.

Essentials for diagnosis

• Cold contact history, acute onset.
• Nasal discharge and obstruction, sneezing, itching or sore throat, cough, aversion to cold, fever, little or no sweating, headache and general aching or discomfort. 
• Influenza should be considered when a cold has a wide spreading tendency and patients have a high fever, severe headache and sore limbs, which may accompany nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, nasal discharge, sore throat, and severe cough. 
• Laboratory examination shows that total leukocyte count is normal or slightly reduced, neutrophil decreased, and lymphocyte increased. Higher leukocyte count may be seen in patients complicated with a bacterial infection. 

Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment 

Syndrome differentiation for this disease mainly focuses on differentiating between the exterior cold and exterior heat. Patients with more chills, less fever, and no sweating mostly belong to the exterior cold syndrome. In contrast, those with less chill, more fever o sweating, and red and swelling throat mainly pertain to the exterior heat syndrome. Clinically colds have four syndromes: wind-cold, wind-heat, exterior cold, interior heat, and summer-heat and dampness. The therapeutic principle for cold is to relieve exterior syndrome by eliminating pathogenic factors. Wind-cold syndrome is treated by diaphoresis with pungent and warm herbs; wind-heat by clearing heat with aromatic and cool herbs; exterior cold and interior heat by expelling cold and clearing heat; and summer-heat and dampness by clearing summer-heat and removing dampness.

• Wind-cold Type
  • Chief Manifestations: Severe chill, mild fever, no sweating, headache, sore limbs, stuffy nose, muffled voice, throat itching, cough with sweating, thin nasal discharge, clear and thin sputum, white and thin tongue coating, and superficial or superficial and tense pulse.
  • Therapeutic Method: To relieve exterior syndrome with pungent and warm herbs.
• Wind-heat Type
  • Chief Manifestations: Severe fever, a slight chill, obstructed sweating, distending pain in the head, dry and sore throat, or red and swelling tonsil, thirst with a desire to drink, stuffy nose with sticky discharge, cough with yellow sputum, red tongue tip, thin and yellow tongue coating, and superficial and rapid pulse.
  • Therapeutic Method: To relieve exterior syndrome with pungent and cool herbs.
• Exterior Cold and Interior Heat Type
  
  • Chief Manifestations: Fever, aversion to cold, no sweating, thirst, stuffy nose, muffled voice, cough, rapid breathing, yellow, sticky and thick sputum, brown urine, constipation, red tongue tip and margins with yellow and white coating, and superficial and rapid pulse.
  • Therapeutic Methods: To disperse wind and release lung qi, expel cold and clear away heat.
• Summer-heat and Dampness Type 
  • Chief Manifestations: Fever, slight aversion to cold, little sweating, or sweating without relieving fever, heavy or sore limbs, dizziness, heavy and distending sensation of the head, cough with sticky sputum, sticky nasal discharge, restlessness, thirst without much desire to drink, feeling of oppression in the chest, acid regurgitation, scanty dark urine, thin, yellow and greasy tongue coating, and soft-superficial and rapid pulse. 
  • Therapeutic Methods: To clear away summer-heat, resolve dampness and relieve exterior syndrome.