The cold weather can lead to persistent coughs. If antibiotics don’t work， sufferers may want to try Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments. Wu Ni reports.

As the temperature drops， people are susceptible to catching a cold， suffering from sore throats， sneezing and a lingering cough. That is because as internal body temperatures fall after exposure to cold air， so does the immune system’s ability to beat back the rhinovirus that causes colds. And the coughing can last for weeks or even months.

Occasional coughing is normal as it keeps the lungs and airways free from mucus and foreign substances that might interfere with breathing. But a stubborn cough requires medical attention. Patients who take antibiotics for one week but do not have any improvements in coughing could try Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， which has its theory and therapy on treating persistent coughs， says Zhou Xiaoyan， a doctor with Shanghai Leiyunshang Traditional Chinese Medicine Center.

TCM is effective in treating coughing because TCM physicians first diagnose the pattern of a cough and then treat it accordingly.

During the winter， people are accustomed to replenishing their bodies with more nutritious food， such as a variety of meats to keep warm and do less physical exercise. This causes a lot of extra heat inside the body. Coughing from heat produces sticky phlegm that is difficult to expectorate， but it can be treated with cooling， moistening herbs and acupuncture points that clear heat from the lungs.

On the other hand， a cough due to external coldness penetrating into the lungs is accompanied by chills and mucus. It can be treated with warming， drying herbs and the application of moxibustion.

From a TCM perspective， coughing can originate from health problems not only in the lungs， butalso in other internal organs. The deficiency of \"Yang qi\" or vital energy in the spleen and kidneycan also lead to coughing， Zhou says. Generally， these are not exclusive remedies for all coughs.

Each remedy is tailored to the individual， and adjustments during the course of treatment arecommon. But Zhou suggests some food remedies that can help when treating coughs.

1. For coughs caused by internal heat， one can put a few bitter apricots seeds into a pear andsteam it. Eat the pear and drink the water. This can clear heat and eliminate phlegm.

2. For coughing due to external coldness， one can try ginger and brown sugar mixture. Mixbruised ginger and brown sugar， then add some honey to turn it into a paste and eat about 9grams once. Brown sugar is effective in nourishing blood， invigorating vital energy and removing dampness， while ginger drains sweat， kills bacteria and soothes the lungs.

3. People who cough and have a lot of phlegm can try \"seeds porridge\"— lightly stir-firedpolished round-grained rice， waxgourd seeds， perilla seeds and white mustard seeds and then cook them as a congee.

4. People suffering from coughs should not have cold drinks， fried food， sweet meats or any food high in fat.

http：//www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2015-02/25/content_19643415.htm

日前，天氣乍暖還寒，很多人久咳不止，服用抗生素仍無效的話，患者可以嘗試用傳統(tǒng)中醫(yī)治療：1.由內(nèi)火引起的咳嗽，可將苦杏仁放入梨中蒸煮后食用；2.由冷引起的咳嗽，可將姜和紅糖一起燉煮，并放入蜂蜜成漿后食用；3.痰較多的咳嗽患者可服用梗米等熬成的“種子粥”；4.此外，咳嗽患者不應(yīng)喝冷水、吃燒烤、甜食或任何高脂肪食物。