Wind Invasion

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In Oriental Medicine, causes of disease from outside the body have names such as Wind, Heat, Cold, Dampness, Dryness, etc. Most flu and colds are referred to as a "wind invasion," in which other pathogenic factors attach themselves to Wind and attempt to enter the body. Generally, the most common combinations are Wind Cold and Wind Heat.

The purpose of this discussion is to give the reader insights into self-diagnosis at the onset of flu or cold symptoms. Oriental Medicine's approach to dealing with these "wind invasions" is to knock them out at the earliest possible sign of their presence. In order to effectively do this, one must fulfill the following three requirements:

Armed with these advantages, an individual who is following the guidelines suggested in the discussions on diet and lifestyle should rarely become ill with infections moving through the population around them.

Understanding signs and symptoms

The first requirement is knowing what to look for. I'll try to keep this information as simple and accessible as possible while giving you enough understanding to accurately evaluate your situation.

Wind invasions can be one of the more complex illnesses to diagnose and treat, because of the nature of Wind. It moves suddenly and quickly. The conditions can change rapidly — sometimes more than once a day, especially in children. When conditions change, the herbal formula must change. It's easy to understand the wisdom of nipping these invasions in the bud.

Wind Cold		Wind Heat
Usual First Symptom: Wind-Cold is most often first noticed as a vague sensation of TIGHTNESS OF THE ENTIRE HEAD and/or SCRATCHY THROAT. It is at this point that one should begin taking Wind-Cold herbs.		Usual First Symptom: The hallmark of an invasion of Wind-Heat is a SORE THROAT WITH SWOLLEN TONSILS. In Oriental medicine sore throat occurs for a number of reasons, but if you’re feeling “off” and suspect the onset of flu when a sore throat appears, this is the time to administer Wind-Heat herbs.
From tightness, Wind-Cold progresses to: Headache, starting at the base of the skull Stiff neck Body aches Runny nose with clear or white discharge Sneezing Cough Aversion to cold Chills with possible slight fever		Sore throat in a Wind-Heat invasion is most often followed by: Fever Runny nose with yellow phlegm Slight sweating Slight thirst Aversion to heat or cold Possible headache and body aches
Wind-Cold may transform into Wind-Heat. Take both formulas if you’re not sure which symptoms are dominant.		It is possible for Wind-Cold to appear within Wind-Heat. In this situation, take full doses of each formula.

Why this is important

Oriental Medicine teaches that wind invasions should be treated immediately upon recognition and completely expelled from the body. There are two reasons for this:

Prevention: A better choice

Much of our discussion has focused on early intervention, and indeed, that is the name of the survival game when dealing with common as well as the more serious forms of wind invasions. It's worth re-emphasizing, however, that prevention is still the most intelligent matrix to set in our every day behavior. Certainly the three previous pages on that subject make the biggest contribution to this end. However, a complete understanding of wind invasions offers additional guidelines for prevention.

In the oriental model, Wind, Cold, Heat, Damp, etc. are not just the names of these pathogenic factors. These elemental forces actually bring on the invasions. For instance, a Wind-Cold invasion to the face carries the western diagnosis of Bell's palsy. Every case of Bell's palsy I've seen was preceded by an actual exposure to wind and/or cold. The first such case was a fellow who fell asleep on a train next to an open window with a cool breeze on one side of his face. He awoke with that side of his face paralyzed. Oriental medicine is very good at resolving Bell's palsy, providing that treatment is begun soon after the invasion — less successful the longer treatment is delayed.

Likewise, actual wind, cold, and damp can usher colds and flu into our bodies. Preventing an invasion involves the following observances:

Chinese Herbal Medicine

Appropriate and effective Chinese Herbal Formulas are discussed in "Secrets", the following page in this series. As noted above, Wind moves quickly. These formulas must be on hand when you need them, not eight hours later. They make ideal traveling companions as well.