Chinese Medicine considers preventative care as important as treating the disease itself. If we cultivate our health we can prevent illness and injury from occurring and minimize their consequences when 'disease evils' do attack us. Join Kath Bartlett, MS, LAc as she shares thoughts, news articles, recipes & tips derived from a wide variety of source material, as it relates to Chinese medicine and cultivating optimal health for the body, mind and spirit.


Friday, December 31, 2010

Case Study: Chinese Herbs for Flu



Here’s a little story of a colleague who desperately emailed me earlier this month about an acute stomach flu, seeking suggestions:

I got really really suddenly & violently ill last night - I'm doing much better today. My husband has a final exam in 4 days and it would be really nice if I managed to not pass this on to him.

Three nights ago I stayed with my parents for the night. I was woken shortly after midnight to the sound of pretty wretched vomiting [from her mother]. Last night it was my turn, so it looks like this has a 2 day incubation period. Which would have my husband puking tonight or tomorrow night instead of studying. bad!

Her main symptoms were simultaneous vomiting & diarrhea (sudden turmoil disorder) “Several hours of misery followed” + severe chills and burning pain in the stomach, esophagus and throat. I recommended an herbal formula she might have on hand.

:) I think you may be our hero. I found my bottle of the sudden turmoil formula [her nickname for the herbal formula I recommended] with a whole 12 pills left in it. When my husband started feeling an odd stomach pressure last night we gave him a dose. he said things settled significantly. I won't be sure that he's in the clear until tomorrow with no vomiting, but I've got my fingers crossed and am feeling optimistic.
thank you again.

. . . The week could've been a LOT worse. My husband only ever had one bout of diarrhea, no vomiting at all was pretty much fine. (I think he was eating normally again by the next day. I'm still not quite at normal, but close.) He managed to skip the hours of misery that my parents & I went through. & when I finally got to take my dose of the herbs, it immediately got rid on the awful bouts of heartburn & most of the lingering nausea I'd been having since the vomiting . . . that's far better than the godawful sick we'd had before the herbs. Apparently my mom, who was the first to get sick (10-11 days ago) is still getting queasy after meals, so the two of us got off lightly.

So thank you again, Karoline Gostl, MS, LAc – New York, NY



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