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Capitola Acupuncture of Santa Cruz County
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Adam White |
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Feed A Cold, Starve a Fever?Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) includes the treatment of the common cold, flu, and many types of fevers with herbs and acupuncture. The following simple dietary modifications and precautions can help to speed recovery from illness when used with acupuncture and herbs. During a fever, one should avoid overeating, animal products, and it is best not to force feed people who are not hungry. Excess foods and animal products prolong the duration of the fever. Also, it is best to avoid hot & spicy foods, fried foods, and refined sugars. Bacteria thrive on refined sugar. Refined sugar can worsen a sore throat and add to the toxicity of a febrile disease (fever). Fried foods, milk, and cheese are damp in nature and therefore contribute to the production of phlegm. This can produce nausea and abdominal distension and/or increased phlegm in the respiratory system. To avoid phlegm congestion in the sinuses and chest, it is important to avoid milk, cheese and pizza. I have mentioned that it is important not to force feed people who are not hungry during a common cold, flu, or febrile disease. However, if the illness persists for more than two days and the patient is not eating, congee is recommended. Congee is a rice soup that is prepared by cooking 1 cup of rice in 8 cups of water over very low heat for several hours. If the patient's constitution is extremely weak, then the rice water floating above the congee is recommended until the patient can handle the congee. Congee is very easy to digest and can bring strength to the weak. There are many simple ways to add nutrition to the congee. Some congee recipes include adding ginger, sliced carrots or celery to the rice before cooking. These ingredients dissolve into the rice soup and are then easily absorbed by the patient. If a person suffers from a fever but cannot break a sweat to expel the toxins, make sure the congee is served very hot and the person wears some warm clothing when eating it. Try adding cilantro or green onion as a garnish. Hopefully, this will help the person to break a sweat in order to help reduce the fever. In general, soup is an excellent choice of food when feeling ill. The broth helps to replenish fluids that are burned off due to fever and/or excess sweating. If someone is not sweating during illness, a hot soup can bring on a sweat which can not only bring down a fever but can also alleviate the neck and back pain associated with a common cold or flu. A favorite Traditional Chinese Medicine soup recipe is called Cong Chi Tang. This is a combination of a specially prepared soybean with green onion. While most people do not have the specially prepared soybean (Dan Dou Chi) in their homes, green onion is often available and a good addition to soup. Other quality choices include fresh ginger, mint, and cilantro. These help to produce a mild sweat in order to help eliminate pathogens from the body. Fresh ginger has the added function of reducing or eliminating nausea. Kudzu root (known as Ge Gen in Chinese) is an excellent soup thickener and can be found in many health food stores and Japanese markets. In TCM, it is known for helping to reduce fever, thirst, and diarrhea during a febrile disease. Finally, while there are foods that help to shorten the duration of illness, many respond well to fasting from food combined with increased fluid intake. Locations:
Call (831)
476-2022 Call (408) 741-5525
Acupuncture for Aptos, Santa Cruz, Soquel, Capitola, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Brookdale, Scotts Valley, Ben Lomond, Watsonville, Hollister, San Jose, Palo Alto, and surrounding areas.
Links: Acupuncture Continuing Education online Capitola and Saratoga Acupuncture Quality acupuncture in Colorado
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