

Wang Chun Mei

About me
Associate Chief Physician, graduated from Qingdao Medical University, has studied at Peking University First Hospital. Engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of various severe and common diseases in respiratory medicine for a long time, especially proficient in the treatment of severe pneumonia, asthma, respiratory failure, pulmonary embolism, and the use of ventilators, pulmonary function testing, and bronchoscopy. Has rich clinical experience. Has received two municipal scientific and technological progress awards, authored three books, and published over 20 papers.
Proficient in diseases
Severe pneumonia, asthma, respiratory failure, pulmonary embolism, as well as the use of ventilators, lung function tests, bronchoscopy examinations, etc.

Voices

Runny yellow nasal discharge is what kind of cold?
When patients with a cold have yellow nasal discharge, there are generally two possibilities to consider. It might indicate that the patient has a heat-type cold, or it might be due to a bacterial infection. Thus, in clinical practice when a patient presents with a cold accompanied by yellow nasal discharge and other discomfort symptoms, it is essential to conduct some relevant tests. These can include a complete blood count and C-reactive protein to check if white blood cells or lymphocytes are elevated. If there is no increase, and the patient also has symptoms like coughing, coughing up yellow phlegm, and sore throat, it raises the possibility of a heat-type cold being the cause. In such cases, appropriate treatment with heat-clearing and detoxifying agents, and antiviral medications, can usually control the symptoms of yellow nasal discharge caused by the cold.

Can a dry cough from lung cancer get better?
Dry cough caused by lung cancer may be alleviated with appropriate medication for some patients in clinical settings. However, a dry cough caused by lung cancer is often due to the size and location of the tumor. If the tumor is not effectively removed, patients may experience chronic symptoms such as dry cough. Therefore, even after surgery, the symptom of dry cough may persist for those with lung cancer. For cases like early-stage lung cancer, if the tumor is removed early, some patients may see significant improvement in their dry cough. However, for those with advanced-stage lung cancer, dry cough may continue even after the tumor tissue has been removed, making dry cough caused by lung cancer generally difficult to cure in clinical practice.

Is moxibustion effective for a stomach cold?
Gastrointestinal cold is a very common disease in clinical practice, mainly caused by accidentally infecting viruses in the upper respiratory tract, leading to symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing, as well as some gastrointestinal discomforts like bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. For patients like these, the gastrointestinal dysfunction is mainly due to the entry of viruses, which causes various degrees of nausea, vomiting, abdominal bloating, and diarrhea. Such patients should be timely treated with antiviral and heat-clearing detoxifying medicines. Additionally, treatments like moxibustion can be performed, targeting acupoints like the navel, Da Zhui, and Zu San Li, which can also help in regulating gastrointestinal functions.

Is a cold easily contagious in summer?
First and foremost, it is important to clarify that colds can occur in any season, including summer. Whether a summer cold is contagious depends mainly on the type of pathogen involved. If the cold is caused by a viral infection, it is likely to be contagious, often spread through respiratory droplets, such as certain types of influenza and common viral infections, which are somewhat contagious. As for summer colds, if they are caused by a common bacterial infection, they generally are not contagious. Therefore, depending on the type of cold and the pathogens that cause it, without knowing, it is essential to take personal precautions to prevent transmission to people with weakened immune systems. Hence, it is advisable to frequently ventilate your home, drink plenty of water, and eat fresh vegetables and fruits.

Where to apply a hot compress for a stomach cold?
Gastrointestinal flu is one of the most common types of flu, mostly caused by viral infections of the respiratory tract that lead to varying degrees of fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy throat, cough, and other symptoms. Simultaneously, clinical symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain can also occur. For such patients, we can generally adopt corresponding antiviral and heat-clearing and detoxifying treatments. If the patient experiences obvious symptoms such as abdominal pain, we can use a hot water bottle to apply to the stomach area, which can help relieve pain locally and also alleviate associated symptoms such as loss of appetite due to gastrointestinal bloating. Thus, for some patients with gastrointestinal flu, applying heat to the stomach area can be beneficial. Clinically, the treatment can be appropriately selected according to the patient's condition, but care must be taken to avoid burns during the heat application.

Is bronchial asthma caused by syphilis?
Asthmatic bronchitis is not caused by syphilis; it is closely related to environmental factors in clinical settings and may also be caused by physical and chemical factors. Additionally, many patients may have asthmatic bronchitis due to genetic factors. Clinically, syphilis is classified as a sexually transmitted disease. The lesions caused by syphilis can be systemic or localized, primarily presenting with clinical discomfort symptoms related to the skin or other organs. In patients with asthmatic bronchitis, the condition typically involves specific inflammatory changes in the trachea, indicating that asthmatic bronchitis is not caused by syphilis.

Is a bacterial cold a wind-heat cold?
Bacterial colds, presenting with clinical symptoms such as fever, headache, sore throat, nasal congestion, and sometimes yellow nasal discharge, along with coughing. For patients with simple bacterial colds experiencing these symptoms, these clinical manifestations alone cannot distinguish between a Wind-Heat cold and a Wind-Cold cold. It is known that the differentiation between Wind-Heat and Wind-Cold colds is based on the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine and cannot be determined from the perspective of bacterial infection. Therefore, clinically, it is often not possible to differentiate bacterial colds based on these symptoms alone.

Why does Type A influenza cause chest tightness?
Influenza A is a type of upper respiratory infection caused by the H1N1 influenza virus, characterized by high contagiosity. Typically, when the respiratory tract is infected with the Influenza A virus, it causes patients to develop fever, often high fever, along with headaches, dizziness, nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing. Moreover, some patients may have pre-existing asthmatic conditions, and infection with the Influenza A virus at this time can trigger asthma attacks, leading to various degrees of chest tightness. Many patients may also have cardiovascular diseases. When infected with the H1N1 influenza virus, the clinical symptoms caused during the acute phase can exacerbate the chest tightness and shortness of breath from some chronic cardiac changes. Therefore, if patients with Influenza A virus infection experience high fever, it may lead to increased heart rate, myocardial hypoxia, and a reduced oxygenation capacity, potentially causing varying levels of chest tightness. By making distinctions, one can identify the cause of the chest tightness.

Does ordinary pneumonia hurt?
Pneumonia is relatively common in clinical settings and is classified as a lower respiratory tract infectious disease. Patients with ordinary pneumonia can be further divided into mild and severe types. If the condition of ordinary pneumonia is mild, the patient may not experience chest pain. However, if the ordinary pneumonia infection is severe, it can cause chest pain, and may also be accompanied by fever, cough, phlegm, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing among other clinical symptoms. Therefore, the diagnosis of ordinary pneumonia must take into account the patient's medical history and related auxiliary examinations to make a definitive diagnosis.

How long does it take for a cold to heal by itself?
In clinical practice, colds are often caused by a decrease in the patient's immune function, accidental exposure to cold, or infection by viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens resulting in nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing. Typically, colds can be cured within about a week through timely medical treatment. Clinically, about 80% or even more of cold cases are primarily due to viral infections. General mild viral colds belong to self-limiting diseases and can heal by themselves within about a week. Therefore, for cold patients, even if these symptoms appear, patients with relatively good immune functions may not require medical treatment and can recover on their own.