32 years old, woman

Reason for consultation

Headache and fever

Clinical history

A week ago the patient caught a cold due to a sudden change in weather. She presents with a fever of 38°C with intermittent sweating. When she sweats, the fever goes down, but when she stops sweating, the temperature rises again. She has fear of cold with a stuffy nose, runny nose, headache with a sensation of heaviness around the head. Heavy and painful limbs. No thirst. Appetite is poor, has nausea and vomiting and sensation of swelling in the epigastrium.

Loose stools with one or two bowel movements per day, normal urine.

Pale tongue with a white greasy coating and slightly yellow.

Soft pulse.

Diagnosis

• Attack of cold-evil wind, exterior
• Interior pattern: cold dampness (that obstructs)

If the Lung is blocked it does not fulfill the function of transforming pure energy and the Stomach is blocked right away because it cannot deliver more energy.

Lung and Spleen belong to Tai Yin and their synergistic action is affected by cold. The viruses attack the respiratory and digestive systems.

The fever is a response to the cold-wind attack, the sweating is noticed because it releases the surface as it lowers the temperature

Therapeutic principles

• Release the surface (eliminate the wind)
• Eliminate cold and dampness in the Spleen

Treatment

• Release the surface: LU-7 + LI-4, TE-5 (releases surface, blocks the attack between Shaoyang and does not let it reach Yangming), BL-12, GB-20, BL-60 (warms the meridian, aspirin)
• Eliminate cold and dampness of Spleen: ST-36, SP-5 (King treats heat, cold, cough and dyspnea; the point eliminates dampness from the Spleen)
• Runny nose: LI-20