Many readers ask why they catch a cold almost every time they have their period.
Women's immunity is lowered during menstruation and pregnancy, making them more susceptible to colds than usual, which is normal. If a woman's constitution is already weak, the chances of infection during menstruation are even greater, and she definitely needs to take care of herself. At the very least, she should avoid overexertion and get plenty of rest during her period, which is the best way to prevent colds. As for whether to take tonifying medications, it depends on individual constitution.
People who are prone to colds generally suffer from what Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) calls Qi deficiency and Wei Qi deficiency. Wei Qi is the protective Qi that safeguards the body from external pathogens. Medicines that can replenish Wei Qi are called Qi-tonifying medicines, such as ginseng, astragalus, and atractylodes. There is a medicine called "Yu Ping Feng San" (玉屏风散), which is a TCM oral liquid that serves this purpose. Its ingredients are astragalus, atractylodes, and saposhnikovia. Saposhnikovia enters the lung meridian and can guide the medicine to target the deficient lung Qi and Wei Qi. Menstruation is a time when people are Qi deficient, and at this time they are also prone to feeling cold. From a Western medicine perspective, this is due to blood loss, while from a TCM perspective, it is due to Qi deficiency.
You can try this Qi-tonifying medicine, and don't wait until your period to take it. In this season, you can take it once a day, up to one-third of the therapeutic dose. At the same time, strengthen your exercise, mainly cold-weather exercise, which is the fastest way to increase immunity. You can start by washing your face with cold water. Since you are young, don't try to keep warm. It is very effective in reducing colds.
Many people say that taking tonics causes internal heat. There are only two possibilities: one is that the medicine is too hot, such as ginseng or longan; the other is that the body was not properly "cleaned" before taking the tonic, resulting in dampness obstructing the body. Therefore, you must check your tongue coating before taking tonics. If the tongue coating is very greasy, you should eat a light diet for a few days or take a preparatory medicine such as "Er Chen Wan" until the tongue coating is clean before taking tonics. This is especially true when taking donkey-hide gelatin, longan, or red dates. If the tongue coating is not clean, it can lead to a bad appetite or even nausea and loss of appetite.
For those who are prone to catching colds during menstruation, or who feel particularly tired even without catching a cold, you can soak 15 grams of astragalus and 5 red dates in water and drink it as tea every day. This should not cause internal heat. If you feel dry mouth, you can soak it with 10 grams of ophiopogon japonicus. If you continue to drink it for a month, you will see a significant improvement.
The above content is exclusively authorized for use only and may not be reproduced without the copyright holder's authorization.
