Cough Flashcards
Describe a deficient cough
Lung Qi which is too weak to descend, and simply floats upward: DEFICIENCY
- Weakness of Lung Qi or Yin
Deficient coughs are chronic, weak, worse with exertion, at night or when fatigued
Describe an excess cough
A pathogen blocking the Lung Qi’s downward movement: EXCESS
- Wind, Cold, Heat or Phlegm, Dampness, Heat, pathological fluids or Qi stagnation
- Excess coughs are acute, loud and paroxysmal
- Excess with underlying deficiency
What is the etiology of cough?
- External pathogens (Entry into Lung through nose and mouth, skin)
- Lung deficiency (Qi or Yin)
- Spleen Qi deficiency, Phlegm
- Liver invading the Lungs (Lungs should restrain Liver;
Reverse controlling cycle, Liver rebels backwards) - Kidney deficiency (Grasps Qi, if not Lung Qi floats upward;
KD & SP Yang fail to move fluids)
Cough that is worse in the morning?
phlegm
Cough that is worse with exertion or when tired?
Deficiency
Cough that is worse in the afternoon or evening?
yin deficiency
Cough that is worse with emotional upset?
LV qi invading LU
What does copious mucus indication?
Copious indicates the presence of Phlegm
What’s the difference between yellow/green, white, and thin/watery mucus?
Yellow or green: Phlegm Heat
White: Phlegm damp
Thin and watery: Cold fluids
What does no mucus with cough indicate?
No mucous: Heat, dryness or Yin deficiency
What does blood streaked mucus indicate?
Lung Heat, Fire or Yin deficiency
Acute cough, frequent, loud, moderate thin clear or white mucous; initially non-productive Chills/fever; no sweating; occipital, frontal h/a; muscle aches, neck stiffness; nasal congestion or runny nose; wheezing, sneezing;
T: Normal, thin white coat
P: floating, tight
TX: Expel Wind and Cold, redirect Qi, stop cough
LI 4; LU 7; GB 20; BL 12, 13; LU 5; CV 17, 22; Ding Chuan; GV 23
Wind Cold
Enters through the pores, ‘tai yang’ channels, obstructing Lung Qi which ascends as cough
Acute hacking, dry cough or sticky yellow; Fever/chills; thick yellow/green mucous; sore, dry scratchy throat; thirst; mild sweating; h/a;
T: normal, red tipped, thin white or yellow
P: Floating, rapid
TX: Expel Wind, Heat, Redirect Qi, Clear Phlegm
GV 14, BL12, 13; LI 11, 4; TW 5; LU 11; SI 17
Wind Heat
Invades the Lungs through the nose and mouth or Wind Cold now Heat, obstructing Qi
Dry hacking cough, scant, sticky, thick mucous; dry throat, mouth, nose, lips; h/a; fever/chills;
T: normal, red tip, thin yellow coat;
P: thready, rapid
TX: Clear Heat, moisten Dryness, Redirect Qi
Sang Xing Tang
BL 12, 13; LU 5, 7, 9; KD 7, 6
Warm Dryness
Pathogenic Wind & Dryness, heat or cold, invades the Lungs; weather influence, A/C now a cause
Cough, no mucous; itchy dry throat; dry nose, lips; h/a; Chills/fever; no sweat;
T: thin, dry white;
P: floating, tight
TX: Clear Lungs, moisten Dryness, redirect Qi
BL 12, 13; LU 5, 7, 9; KD 7, 6
Cool Dryness
Dry hacking painful cough; little/no mucous; fever, sweat; chest tightness, pain; red complexion; chest heat sensation; dry mouth, thirst; SOB, wheezing;
T: red, red tip, yellow coat
P: flooding, rapid
TX: Clear Heat, redirect Qi, stop cough
LU 5, 6, 10; BL 13; CV 17; LI 4; GV 14; LU 1
LU Heat
Pathogen into Lungs, no exterior Sx remain;
Chronic cough, profuse thin or thick white, or clear mucous; rattle in chest, worse in AM, after eating; chest, epigastric fullness; poor appetite; nausea, vomiting; loose stools; lethargy, weakness;
P: Soft and slippery
T: pale and swollen, scalloped, greasy, white coat
TX: Tonify Spleen, dry Damp, transform Phlegm
BL 13, 43, 20; LU 5, 7, 9; LIV 13; SP 3, 6; ST 36 Ding Chuan
Phlegm Damp
Causes chronic cough…the result of poor diet or recurrent URIs treated with antibiotics; common in children with dairy rich diet; a mixed pattern of Excess and Deficiency
Hacking cough, profuse, thick yellow/green mucous; chest/epigastric fullness; wheezing worse at night, in morning; poor appetite, nausea; lethargy, weak; sore throat; bitter taste;
T: thick, greasy yellow coat
P: slippery, rapid
TX: Expel Phlegm, Clear Heat; redirect Lung Qi
LU 5, 6, 7, 1, 10; ST 40; LI 11; BL 13; CV 17
Phlegm Heat
Lung Heat congeals fluids into Phlegm Heat following EPI; flare up of chronic Phlegm Damp in Lung from alcohol, spicy foods, tobacco; mostly Acute
Paroxysmal, severe cough; chest hypochondrial pain; exacerbated by emotions; persists for several weeks, subsides, returns; red face, eyes; bitter taste; irritable; dizziness, h/a; LIV 14, 3 very tender on palpation;
T: red, dry, yellow coat
P: wiry, slippery
TX: Clear Liver Fire, moisten LU, transform Phlegm
BL 13, 18; LU 5; LIV 2, 3, 14; GB 34; PC 6
LV Fire invading LUs
Chronic, weak, dry cough, little mucous and hard to expectorate, sticky, blood streaked; dry mouth, throat; low grade fever rises in afternoon/evening; malar flush; night sweat; ‘five hearts heat’; emaciation, fatigue
T: red, dry little or no coat, peeled (mirror) coat
P: thready, rapid
TX: Nourish Lung Yin, moisten Lung, transform Phlegm
BL 13, 43, 23; LU 9, 5, 7; KD 6, 3; LU 10 for severe heat
LU yin deficiency
Yin is damaged by chronic, severe disease, febrile diseases, smoking, bronchodilators, prolonged exposure to hot, dry environments; can follow KD Yin def.; failure of weak Lung Qi to descend or deficient heat rising cause cough
Chronic, weak, tiring cough; exacerbated by exertion, fatigue, wind exposure; thin clear frothy white mucous; SOB; spontaneous sweating; aversion to Wind; frequent colds; weak, low voice; fatigue
T: pale, thin white coat
P: weak
TX: Tonify Lung Qi, calm cough, transform Phlegm
BL 13, 43, 20; LU 9, 7; GV 14; ST 36; SP 6; CV 12;
LU qi deficiency
If weak Lung Qi, with impaired descending, then chronic cough
Chronic cough, thin watery mucous; worse with exertion; edema; cold, heavy limbs, spontaneous sweating; nocturia or difficult urination; dizziness, palpitations;
T: pale, swollen
P: deep, slippery
TX: Warm Yang, disperse Cold; move fluids
BL 20, 23; CV 9, 6; KD 7, 3; SP 9, 6; ST 36
SP & KD Yang deficiency
Failure to process fluids, accumulating in Lung, obstruct Lung Qi; diuresis to drain fluids, then strengthening SP/KD Yang.
Chronic cough, worse at night; scanty mucous, bloody; pain upon coughing; cold extremities, a frequent sign of Blood stasis in chronic Lung disease. Following trauma to the chest, contusion, rib fracture; late stage of serious disease, cancer.
T: pale, or purples, stasis spots
P: wiry, thready, weak
TX: Resolve Blood stasis, stop cough
BL 17, 13; LU 5; LI 4; LIV 3; PC 6, SP 10; hemoptysis LU 6
Blood Stagnation
