When the weather suddenly changes, people are prone to catching colds and coughing. However, when they go to the hospital for treatment, some people have a cough due to wind-cold, while others have a cough due to wind-heat. What is the difference between these two?
Different Concepts
A cough due to wind-cold is caused by the body being affected by wind-cold and the lung qi being obstructed, resulting in a cough.
A cough due to wind-heat is caused by the body being affected by pathogenic wind-heat, leading to heat in the lungs and loss of lung-clearing function, resulting in a cough.
Different Symptoms
Symptoms of a cough due to wind-cold: heavy and dull cough, breathlessness, itchy throat, thin and white phlegm, often accompanied by headache, nasal congestion, clear runny nose, chills, fever without sweating, thin white tongue coating, and floating and tight pulse.
Symptoms of a cough due to wind-heat: crisp cough, difficulty expectorating phlegm, yellow or thick and sticky phlegm, dry and painful throat, dry mouth and thirst, often accompanied by feverish body, headache, limb pain, and yellow nasal discharge, thin yellow tongue coating, and floating or rapid pulse.
Different Pathogenesis
A cough due to wind-cold is caused by the invasion of pathogenic wind-cold, which causes contraction and stagnation of cold, obstructs the lung qi, and affects the normal circulation of lung qi, leading to the production of phlegm and blockage of the airway, resulting in a cough.
A cough due to wind-heat is caused by excess heat in the body or the invasion of pathogenic wind-heat, which affects the lung-wei, impairs lung-clearing function, and transforms bodily fluids into phlegm, resulting in a cough with thick yellow phlegm.
Different Treatments
The treatment of a cough due to wind-cold focuses on dispelling wind-cold, clearing the lungs, and stopping coughing.
The treatment of a cough due to wind-heat focuses on dispelling wind-heat, clearing the lungs, and stopping coughing.
Home Remedies
For a cough due to wind-cold:
1. Ginger and scallion white porridge: Take 150g of glutinous rice and cook it with appropriate amount of water. When the porridge is cooked, add 20g of ginger and scallion white and cook for 15 minutes. This can help dispel wind-cold and stop coughing.
2. Steamed garlic water: Take 7-10 cloves of garlic, crush them, put them in a bowl, add half a bowl of water, and add two pieces of rock sugar. Place the bowl in a steamer, bring to a boil over high heat, then steam for 15 minutes over low heat. Let it cool and drink. This can treat cough due to cold.
3. Steamed prickly ash and rock sugar pear: Take a pear, wash it, cut it horizontally near the stem, remove the core, add 20 prickly ash berries and 2 pieces of rock sugar, align the upper part of the pear, put it in a bowl, and steam for about half an hour. Eat the pear and drink the water. This can treat cough due to cold.
For a cough due to wind-heat:
1. Honeysuckle tea: Brew 10g of honeysuckle in water and drink it as tea. This can clear lung heat.
2. Stewed loquat and fritillary pear: Take 2 leaves of loquat, wash them, and cut one pear into pieces and put them in a pot. Add 10g of fritillary and 50g of rock sugar, as well as an appropriate amount of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for half an hour. This can clear lung heat and stop coughing.
3. Mulberry leaf and apricot kernel rock sugar drink: Put mulberry leaves and apricot kernels in a pot, add 1 bowl of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat until half a bowl is left. Remove the residue, add rock sugar, and consume it warm. This can clear lung heat and stop coughing.
Tips
1. If symptoms of a cold appear, seek medical treatment promptly to prevent the cold from worsening and causing a cough.
2. During a cold and cough, it is advisable to have a light diet and avoid spicy and greasy foods.
3. Pay attention to rest, exercise regularly, and be cautious about protection during the flu season. Avoid crowded public places to prevent infection.
