Effective Chronic Cough Treatment with Acupuncture and Herbs
Effective Chronic Cough Treatment with Acupuncture and Herbs
This winter has been an especially cold one, and a prevalence of colds and viruses have shown a big uptick in chronic coughs that hang on for weeks after the initial Cold/Flu symptoms resolve. Clinically I've seen this more than years past and have come up with a set of treatments to help clear this stubborn condition with satisfactory results, especially where steroids and OTC med have failed.
How TCM Can Help with Lingering Coughs
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a persistent cough can be seen as a residual pathogen that hasn't fully been ejected by the body, but also shows that there is a deeper imbalance in the body that is not allowing it to achieve homeostasis. By utilizing TCM pattern diagnosis, a patient will get a personalized diagnosis that is specific to their cough and then the appropriate herbs and acupuncture can be utilized to resolve the condition.
What are the Common Patterns?
Leftover Cold or Flu Symptoms: called residual wind pathogen an external invasion into the lungs has embedded itself into lining of the lung and either an immune deficiency, low grade inflammation, or cold type vascular and bronchial contraction does not allow the body to fully fight off the infection.
Dryness in the Lungs: If your cough is dry, scratchy, and comes with a hoarse voice or dry throat, it may be due to a lack of moisture in the lungs. This can happen after inflammation dries out the lung lining or from overuse of the lungs like excessive talking or breathing in dry air and the lungs are unable to relubricate themselves with all the coughing.
Excess Mucus: If your cough brings up thick or sticky mucus, your body may be struggling to clear out leftover congestion. These conditions are a sign of impaired water and lymphatic metabolism. Chronic congestion that backs up or excess fluid generation that's trying to flush irritants aggravates the lungs and causes a coughing reaction.
Stress and Emotions: Anxiety, frustration, or stress can tighten the chest and trigger a cough, even if you’re not sick. Stress hormones will cause tightening of the liver vasculature and restrict the diaphragm leading to coughing after a stressful event.
Weakness from Chronic Illness: If you’ve been unwell for a long time or feel generally low on energy, your body may need extra support to fully recover from a cough. Collapse of the Qi or metabolic energy dynamic means the body is too exhausted to return the body to normal. Especially if you were unable to properly rest when you were sick. Various medications can further damage the Qi or how metabolic energy is moved to the chest and the patient never improves or becomes dependent on the med.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture stimulates the lung, the bronchi, soft tissue structures of the diaphragm, and the lymphatic system. Selecting the points and visceral channels that lead to the lung and lymphatic system help open up the lungs and remove excess phlegm, calm inflammation, and settle the cough sensation.
Herbal Medicine
Herbal formulas in TCM are tailored to your specific type of cough and work very well to help get you back to normal:
- For leftover cold symptoms: herbs that help "eject" a pathogen are chosen like the upper part of the cinnamon tree for cold type cough, or mulberry leaf and bark for inflammatory cough
- For dry coughs: Moisturizing herbs that help coat and nourish the lungs like lily bulb
- For mucus-filled coughs: Herbs that help break down and remove phlegm from the lungs like pinella or trichosanthes for colored phlegm
- For stress-related coughs: Herbs that enter the liver and regulate the diaphragm like buplerum and tangerine peel
Foods That Help with Coughs
What you eat can also play a big role in healing a lingering cough:
- For dry coughs: Eat pears, honey, almonds, and soups to keep the lungs hydrated.
- For mucus-heavy coughs: Avoid dairy, fried foods, and sugar while eating more ginger, radish, and warm teas to help clear out congestion.
- For weak and chronic coughs: Strengthen your body with nourishing foods like walnuts, bone broth, and sesame seeds.
Lifestyle Tips to Prevent Coughs
Stay hydrated and avoid dry or smoky environments.
Practice deep breathing exercises to improve lung strength.
Manage stress with activities like meditation or gentle stretching.
The Takeaway
A lingering cough isn’t just an annoyance—it’s a sign that your body needs support. TCM offers natural and effective ways to not only relieve symptoms but also strengthen your overall health. If you or someone you know has been struggling with a stubborn cough, give us a call at (248) 951-8897 for a consultation and see how we can help!
