Wind-cold fettering the lung

A disease pattern chiefly characterized by cough with clear thin white phlegm; runny nose; wind-cold exterior signs (pronounced aversion to cold and slight heat effusion).

Description: Cough with expectoration of scant thin white phlegm; in severe cases, panting or wheezing and panting; slight heat effusion and aversion to cold; nasal congestion and runny nose with clear nasal mucus; in some cases, itchy throat; in some cases, generalized pain and absence of sweating; thin white tongue fur; a pulse that is floating and tight.

Diseases: Cough; panting; common cold; loss of voice.

Pathogenesis: Wind-cold assailing the exterior and causing non-diffusion of lung qì, usually in winter or spring.

Analysis of signs: This is one of the most frequently observed patterns of the common cold. It includes wind signs, cold signs, and signs of non-diffusion of lung qì. Wind assails the outer and upper parts of the body and causes diseases of sudden onset.

• Wind-cold fettering the lung, causing non-diffusion of lung qì: Cough, expectoration of clear thin white phlegm, nasal congestion, runny nose, and itchy throat; in severe cases, panting or wheezing and panting.
• Wind-cold assailing the exterior: Aversion to cold with slight heat effusion. Aversion to cold arises when wind-cold prevents lung qì from diffusing and obstructs defense yáng, depriving the fleshy exterior of warmth. Heat effusion arises because of the fight between right and evil. Wind is mobile and changeable in nature, hence illness of sudden onset.
• Cold: Headache, generalized pain, and absence of sweating. Cold causes qì and blood to congeal and stagnate in the channels; hence there is headache and generalized pain. Cold causes contraction and tension; when it lodges in the fleshy exterior, it causes the interstices to close so that sweating ceases.
• Tongue: Thin white fur.
• Pulse: Floating and tight. Floating reflects evil qì in the exterior; tight reflects the contracture of the vessels caused by cold.

Treatment

Medicinal therapy: Disperse cold and diffuse the lung; resolve the exterior with warmth and acridity. Use xìng sū sǎn (杏苏散 Apricot Kernel and Perilla Powder). For cough, rapid breathing, and absence of sweating, má huáng tāng (麻黄汤 Ephedra Decoction) and variants. For severe headache, chuān xiōng chá tiáo sǎn (川芎茶调散 Tea-Blended Chuanxiong Powder).

Acumoxatherapy: Drain BL-13 (fèi shù), GB-20 (fēng chí), LU-7 (liè quē), LI-4 (hé gǔ), and TB-5 (wài guān).

Comparison:

• Cold phlegm obstructing the lung is similar to wind-cold fettering the lung in that cold is a major element. However, cold phlegm obstructing the lung is marked by a prominence of panting or wheezing and panting, severe cough, pronounced cold signs without heat effusion.
• Wind-heat invading the lung: Wind-cold fettering the lung and wind-heat invading the lung are both external contractions. Wind-cold is characterized by pronounced aversion to cold and mild heat effusion, a thin white tongue fur, tight floating pulse, runny noise with clear snivel, and cough with thin clear white phlegm. Wind-heat is characterized by pronounced heat effusion with mild aversion to cold and wind, cough with thick yellow phlegm, nasal congestion with turbid yellow snivel, dry mouth, sore throat, a red-tipped tongue, white or yellow tongue fur, and a rapid floating pulse.
• Wind-cold fettering the exterior: Wind-cold fettering the lung and wind-cold fettering the exterior both involve wind-cold affecting the skin and body hair and the interstices. They differ by emphasis. Wind-cold fettering the exterior has cough as the main sign attended by exterior signs. Wind-cold fettering the exterior is marked principally by exterior signs, and has cough as a possible secondary sign.
• See also great yáng disease patterns.