Keeping your cool inside
Beijing is getting sick. The recent drop in temperature and blustery winds in Beijing have led to a spike in cold and flu infections.
The major type of influenza virus this year a subtype of type A virus is different from last year, according to the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
But the good news from these medical experts is that vaccines could prevent cold and flu because there have been few mutations in the antigenic structure of the influenza virus this year.
Traditional Chinese Medicine holds that cold and flu are caused by unfavorable influences in the climatic and seasonal environments in nature, which are considered exogenous, evil qi.
In winter, wind and cold evils may be more prevalent, making people more prone to the type of cold and flu caused by cold and wind.
Zhou Ping'an, a veteran TCM doctor specializing in the treatment of respiratory diseases, believes that people's constitution nowadays plays a role.
People are eating more delicate and fine food, which causes an excessive amount of internal heat.
While Western medicine uses antibiotics and antiviral medicine to directly kill viruses and bacteria, TCM focuses on modifying the internal environment of the human body with herbal formulas so that the virus or bacteria can no longer survive.
According to the properties of this winter's cold and flu, TCM doctors prescribe a combination of herbal medicine to dispel the exogenous evil of cold and clear the inner heat. Restoring the internal balance this way will cause the symptoms of cold and flu to gradually disappear.
The mainstream TCM strategy for preventing cold and flu in winter is eating more fruit and vegetables. Dietary staples can be supplemented with porridge or soup made of mung bean or red bean.
To prevent cold and flu, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention offers the following tips.
Participate in adequate physical exercise and avoid fatigue in order to boost the immune system.
Wash hands often and avoid touching the nose, mouth and eyes.
Get the fresh air outdoors and keep the indoors ventilated.
Drink plenty of water.
(China Daily 01/10/2007 page19)
