Male patient, 34, caught a flu 3 days before I saw him. First 2 days, he had throat pain, aversion to cold, and also nausea and dizziness. On the 3rd day, he had low fever and headache. On the 4th day when he came, he had itchy throat, cough without sputum, but nasal discharge of white and yellow mucus and blood. One of the questions I always ask my patients is what temperature of water makes them feel better. This patient couldn't tell me. So I poured two cups of water, one hot and the other cool, and made him try both.
This may seem very much like the previous blog entry, Bed-Ridden Flu Recovered After 2 Days of Taking Chinese Herbal Medicine, but in the eyes of a TCM practitioner, they are completely different. This case showed more heat sign: yellow mucus, blood, and better with cool water.
I gave him a few days of 2 basic formulae, and he was better.
For someone who's interested in the technical part of the case:
CC: Cough, Nasal Discharge of White/Yellow Mucus with Blood.
Symptoms: No sweat, slight discomfort and itchy in the throat, thirsty, cool water, no sputum, nape stiffness.
Tongue: Red and thin body, thin yellow coat
Pulse: Wiry
Fx: Ge Gen Tang 3g + Ban Xia Hou Po Tang 3g -- twice a day.