99 Health Network leads the way: Although summer has arrived, many people are still coughing. Some are left with a "tail" after catching a cold in spring or even winter; others cough and produce phlegm after sleeping with the air conditioning on. Experts warn Guangzhou residents who love to drink a cup of cool tea after catching a cold that those with a constitutionally cold body become even "cooler" by drinking cool tea. They should also try to delay turning on the air conditioning as it is still a bit early to use it.
Xiao Chen caught a cold two months ago. At that time, he bought some cool tea from the street, but it was ineffective and instead affected his appetite. He switched to Western medicine and got better after a week. All other symptoms of the cold disappeared except for the cough, which wasn’t severe but persisted intermittently for almost two months without complete recovery despite taking antibiotics. Xiao Chen doubtedly said.
People with Qi deficiency should not drink cool tea
Respiratory experts introduced that there are many people like Xiao Chen who come to see a doctor for coughs during the summer. According to Western medical concepts, these are all cases of post-viral infection coughs with inflammation. Some people have lingering coughs after catching a cold, while others cough due to throat pain from excessive internal heat. Many patients buy cool tea after catching a cold or experiencing internal heat, but find it ineffective or even worse.
Guangzhou has always had a culture of cool tea because traditional Chinese medicine believes that people in Lingnan (Guangdong) are mainly of the damp-heat constitution. Many Guangzhou residents like to drink cool tea to treat colds or internal heat; some believe that the weather in Guangzhou is damp and hot, so they buy a cup of cool tea casually. This is incorrect. Experts say that cool tea is only suitable for people with damp-heat or external wind-heat conditions. People with Qi deficiency who drink cool tea will become cooler and cannot cure their illness but may instead worsen it.
Human constitution shifts from damp-heat to Qi deficiency
Many people think that since the weather in Guangzhou is damp and hot, they must be of the damp-heat constitution. Experts say this is actually a misconception. Previously, Guangdong Province conducted a constitution survey on nearly ten thousand people. The results showed that due to living environments becoming increasingly separated from nature and tending towards indoor spaces, people staying in air-conditioned environments for long periods and sweating less have seen their constitutions shift from damp-heat to Qi deficiency. Among the nine types of constitutions, the proportion of people with Qi deficiency is the highest, accounting for about 25.53%, while only 8.2% are of the damp-heat constitution.
Check tongue coating and stool to identify your own constitution
Experts lament that in the past, those selling cool tea were somewhat knowledgeable about Traditional Chinese Medicine teachers who would first determine the customer's constitution before selling. Nowadays, those selling cool tea no longer do this, so one should identify their own constitution before drinking cool tea.
How can you simply determine your own constitution? Experts introduce that you can judge your constitution by observing the tongue coating, stool, throat, eye discharge, etc. A red tongue coating with tooth marks, dry stools, sore throat, and eye discharge indicate a heat-type constitution; a white tongue coating and loose stools indicate a Qi-deficient constitution.
Experts suggest that people with Qi deficiency need to strengthen the spleen and remove dampness. Those with mild symptoms can use Huai Mountain yam, Job's tears, and mung beans to make soup; those with severe symptoms should consult a doctor at the hospital for professional advice.