What is wind-heat cold?

Written by Guo Xiao Yun
Pulmonology
Updated on January 14, 2025
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Wind-heat cold is a term used in traditional Chinese medicine, referring to a type of cold caused by the invasion of heat into the body. Clinically, it mainly presents with symptoms such as coughing, coughing up purulent sputum, thick and abundant sputum that is difficult to expel, as well as high fever with chills. The body temperature can reach above 39°C within a few hours, and there may also be headaches, dizziness, sore limbs, fatigue, and sore, swollen throat. Therefore, patients with wind-heat cold should drink plenty of water and take some heat-clearing and detoxifying Chinese patent medicines orally. For patients with a body temperature higher than 38.5°C, antipyretic medication such as ibuprofen should be taken orally to reduce the temperature back to normal. In daily life, it is important to focus on a light diet and avoid spicy and irritating foods.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
56sec home-news-image

Differences between air conditioning cold and common cold

Using air conditioning set too low, or staying in an air-conditioned room for a long time, can easily cause a cold due to the lack of air circulation. When a person's immune function is low, it is easy for viruses or bacteria to invade the respiratory tract, causing symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, fever, headache, and dizziness. In the case of a common cold, it might be a heat-type cold or it could be a cold-type cold. Common colds are usually caused by viral infections of the respiratory tract, leading to clinical symptoms of discomfort. On the other hand, air conditioning colds often occur due to the air conditioning being set too cold, leading to cold-induced symptoms. Thus, there is a distinct difference between air conditioning colds and common colds, with the systemic symptoms caused by air conditioning colds being relatively more severe.

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Written by Li Jian Wu
Pulmonology
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Can you drink alcohol if you have a cold?

It is not recommended to drink alcohol during a cold. This is because alcohol can suppress the central nervous system and affect the absorption of medications, especially cephalosporin drugs. One must not drink alcohol as it can pose a life-threatening risk. Whether it is beer, Western liquor, or strong spirits, none should be consumed. Since a cold itself can cause symptoms of fatigue and weakness, adding alcohol can potentially worsen these symptoms. Additionally, consuming alcohol while on cold medications is not advised, as it can lead to poor mental focus, and alcohol can exacerbate the symptoms of a cold.

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Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
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How does a cold spread?

The common cold is a very common clinical disease, caused by a viral infection that is somewhat contagious. So, how is the common cold transmitted? On one hand, it can spread through the respiratory tract; for example, cold sufferers through sneezing, coughing, and other methods can produce droplets containing the cold virus. When these droplets are inhaled by healthy individuals, they can become infected. Additionally, if everyday items are contaminated by the cold virus, other people can come into contact with the virus by touching these items. If they do not wash their hands afterwards, they can also become infected with the cold virus through contact.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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Is a cough with phlegm due to a cold caused by wind-cold or wind-heat?

Coughing is a very common symptom among patients, with numerous and complex triggering factors. Determining the specific cause of a cough requires analyzing the nature of the cough, such as whether it is productive or dry, and considering other related clinical manifestations. Clinically, symptoms can help distinguish whether a cough is caused by a cold due to wind-cold or wind-heat. Typically, colds due to wind-cold often occur in winter. Symptoms include nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, itchy throat, varying degrees of fever, and primarily a dry cough. Conversely, colds due to wind-heat are more common in summer and are accompanied by more pronounced general symptoms. These include sore throat, fever, chills, nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing. Thus, simply having a productive cough does not confirm whether it is due to a wind-cold or wind-heat cold. If the cough produces yellow phlegm and occurs in summer, it generally indicates a wind-heat cold.

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Written by Zhang Shu Kun
Traditional Chinese Medicine
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Is scraping effective for colds caused by heat?

Scraping therapy can also be very effective for treating colds associated with heat symptoms, as it primarily stimulates acupoints to help reduce internal heat, achieving effective regulation and improvement. It is also important to pay attention to diet, avoiding foods that are too heating to effectively prevent exacerbating the condition. Scraping therapy mainly adjusts the body by stimulating acupoints, and can significantly improve conditions by scraping acupoints like Kidney Shu and Lung Shu. It is best to avoid alcohol and overly heating foods in your diet.