Atlanta Acupuncture Center

275 Carpenter Drive, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA. 30328

Tel: 404-250-9903; E-mail: lihua@aac2000.com

www.aac2000.com

Li Hua, D. Ac. TCMD

 

How To Take Care of Your Children

By Traditional Chinese Medicine In The Fall

 

During the fall season, the weather is often changing. Common cold, sinus problem, cough, bronchitis and asthma are the common health problems for children. These problems are closely related with the lung system. According to traditional Chinese medicine theories, the spleen generates the lung. The spleen is the source of Chi (vital energy) and blood. When the spleen loses its balance, the vital-Chi will become weak and defensive-Chi will be deficient. The pathogenic-Chi can attack the lung system easily. Generally, children are not as strong as adult. Plus some children’s vital-Chi and defensive-Chi are low, so they can get a cold, running nose, sneezing and cough, then these bring out sinus problem, bronchitis and asthma.

 

If your children already has a cold, traditional Chinese medicine is one of the solutions can be selected. Firstly, according to the traditional Chinese medicine theory of “cold heat deficiency excess”, to analyze the cold belong to which type, to treat cold from it cause; secondly, to do prevention treatment. For example, some children are easy to sweat. Their common cold usually comes and goes and is hard to recover. They are aversion to cold and wind. Appetite decrease and bowel movement is soft and easy to get diarrhea. Their tongues are pale red with white coating. Their pulse is floating and weak. Some children are easy to sweat at night and always eat small. They usually have dry bowel movement or constipation. They have dry cough or cough with slight mucus. Their mouth and lips are dry and often get sore throat. Their tongue is red with less coating or without coating. Their pulse is thin, rapid and weak. According to the children’s condition, beside to treat the symptom, also need to consider tonifying the Chi and blood, invigorating the spleen and nourishing their Yin.

 

How to prevent these above health problem? In fall, “dry” pathogenic-Chi is active and the lung organ needs to be strengthened. The food with the function of nourishing the lung and increasing vital-Chi should be added to their diet, for example, pear, almond and sesame. They can eat fresh pear or pear soup which pear and water boil for about ten minutes mixed with teaspoon honey that nourish the lung. They can eat almond a handful (their hand) or with their soups or salad. They can eat sesame oil and sesame seeds. Sesame oil can be added the soup with its flavor and sesame seeds can be added to the salad and the bread. Another important thing I would like to suggest here is to let them drink enough water, eat on time and get enough sleep. Let them learn do some children’s exercise such as running, walking with parents, do ten movements children’s exercise, which can be done indoor or outdoor, in order to increase their immunity and keep healthy and strong and be ready to welcome the winter.