Robert Cran Clinic blog

The fallacy

"This formula worked for me last time I had a cold so it should be good for this one".

This is a common misconception.  Why?

Follow up:

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One Disease, numerous Patterns

The common "cold" isn't in fact a single entity.   Each time one encounters it, be it in the same or in different persons, it has to be evaluated afresh.  Only in this way can just the right formula be given to deal with that "cold" in exactly the right way.

One Pattern might be:

For example one time you might have a runny nose with clear nasal discharge, sneezing, a bit thirsty maybe, a slight cough, maybe runny or itchy or sore or reddish eyes - an attack of External Wind Heat invading the Lung.  The formula to use would be Sang Ju Yin and can be had in pill form in its original classical formulation.

Yet even in this simple scenario there can be nuances that will lead to an unsatisfactory progression if not addressed properly.

The Einstein factor

Einstein noted that a problem can only really be solved one stage beyond that at which it arose.  And so it is in the treatment of External invasions:  the Chinese doctor must always keep an eye out for even a slight penetration to a deeper level than the main invasion.

For example, if there is the slightest hint that the invasion has touched the Yangming Stage or the Qi Level - ie. just touched, rather than full entry - then this formula on its own will not be enough.  The "cold" will very likely go deeper into the Lung.  The cough will likely develop into a worse one.

The easiest mistake to make here is to throw in a bundle of Stop Cough herbs in the hope that something will go right.  This strategy is most likely to be as ineffective as it is unthinking.  If the Yangming Stage or Qi Level has been touched then nothing but herbs to Clear Heat from that degree of penetration will stop the "cold"/cough getting worse.  In this scenario the original, classical formula Sang Ju Yin can be taken as a pill formula, but with other herbs taken alongside either as boiled-up raw herbs or as soluble granules.  In any case it needs a Chinese doctor to identify what is required.

Another pattern might be:

For example you might have this "cold" with yellow nasal discharge, a sore throat, maybe a raised thirst, maybe feeling slightly feverish.  Again this is a case of External Wind Heat invading the Lung with Fire Toxins present.  (No, this is not related to the Naturopathic concept of "detoxing").  Here,  a different formulation of herbs is needed, even though the broad description of the Pattern seems to be the same.

In this case the formula to be used is Yin Qiao San, or Yin Qiao Jie Du San.  This classical formula, available in pill form, contains herbs not only to Release Heat from the Exterior, but also to Relieve Fire Toxins.  It contains Niu Bang Zi among other herbs; this is important as this pattern of Wind Heat very often presents with a sharp type of sore throat or sore back of the nose.  Without Niu Bang Zi this formula is not very likely to deal with this situation efficiently.  With Niu Bang Zi present, however, a sharp sore throat which is threatening to become a "cold" can often be resolved very quickly, sometimes within an hour or so.

Again, if there is the slightest suggestion that the External Pathogen has touched the Yangming Stage or Qi Level, then the Einstein factor applies:  it is essential to add herbs that Clear Heat from these depths of progression to prevent further incursion and the "cold" with sore throat turning into a raging cough that last a week or more.  It will not  respond to various cough remedies thrown at it unless these have been properly calculated to deal with exactly the levels of progression that have been affected.

Another pattern might be:

A dull, glandy sore throat, a bit of a thirst perhaps, sore neck or head.

Again this is Wind Heat, but it is restricted to the head and neck.  The formula to be used is actually a very astute and simple one of modern times:  Qiang Lan Tang, and it is not available in pill form.

Again, if Fire Toxins are present, evidenced by yellow nasal discharge, then appropriate herbs must be added.

Again, if there is slight evidence that a deeper level than the purely External has been touched, then the Einstein factor comes into play.

When a "cold" is actually a "hot"

Actually nowadays a so-called "cold" is rarely a cold in the old-fashioned sense, what is called External invasion of Wind Cold in Chinese medicine.  A cold in this sense is found only in very cold weather and in people who are not running hot most of the time from their indoor heating or from their internal, emotional Heat.

A very common mistake is to treat a Heat "cold" as if it were a Cold "cold".  This is why ginger and lemon are most often  just not the thing to take for a "cold" or a sore throat;  ginger is a warm herb and is meant to be used in genuinely Cold invasions.  Rarely seen in Cape Town.  So many "colds" are of the Heat variety and ginger is the opposite of what is needed.  The sore throat just keeps returning, the sufferer becomes even more thirsty and the "cold" lasts far too long.

And when you have diarrhoea?

When you have a "cold" of some sort and you have diarrhoea, then none of the above formulas applies as you most likely are affected by one variant or another of Summerheat/Damp, or maybe an Autumnal invasion.  Though sometimes a pill may be available for this, often a more accurate tailoring to the situation is needed:  a calculated formula of dried herbs to boil up and drink.

The lesson to be learned

Therefore, when you have a "cold" never assume that pill you stored away in the family medicine chest is the right one for the current job.  Call your Chinese doctor for an accurate differentiation every time.

Chances are he/she will say you need such-and-such a formula which you may also have in your medicine chest. Or maybe you wil be told to come and collect something quite different.

Finally, when a "cold" is not an External invasion at all

Let's say you feel rather lousy.  You have this dull sore throat that has been hanging around, coming and going for a week or weeks and you can't shake it off.  You feel tired and often brain-dead.  You may have concluded that you have flu coming on.

Chances are you don't have a "cold"  or a flu or any other External invasion at all.  When you call your Chinese doctor about it he/she may well tell you that you should under no circumstances take any of the things you have in that medicine chest, but instead come and collect a small formula of herbs to Nourish the Yin of the Lung and Stomach, moisten the fluids and Clear Heat from the Ying Level.  After taking this you find you have not only lost your sore throat but are feeling less brain-dead.