I. Introduction: Challenges to Children’s Health During Humid Weather

Humid weather, also known as “returning dampness,” is a unique weather phenomenon in southern regions where the air humidity is extremely high, posing challenges to human health, especially children’s health. As parents, how can we effectively prevent and deal with children’s diseases during this special period? This article will combine traditional Chinese medicine theory and real cases to provide you with practical prevention and treatment guidelines.

II. Expert Introduction: Dr. Zhou Miye’s Journey in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Dr. Zhou Miye has rich clinical experience and excels in using traditional Chinese medicine thinking to analyze diseases, while emphasizing communication with patients and their families. She has noticed that more and more parents are paying attention to “preventing diseases before they occur,” which means taking proactive measures when diseases first show signs, and this makes her feel gratified.

III. Case Analysis of Common Childhood Diseases During Humid Weather

Case One: Child Vomiting and Body Aches – External Wind-Cold and Internal Damp-Heat

1. Symptom Presentation:

• The child experienced vomiting (3 times), headache, sore throat, and body aches.

2. Traditional Chinese Medicine Analysis:

• Cause Determination:
  • Not a Stomach Issue: Acute vomiting is usually related to external factors rather than organic stomach diseases.
  • External Wind-Cold: Recently, during humid weather, the high air humidity affects the child, causing spleen and stomach dysfunction and insufficient vital energy, which, when invaded by wind-cold, leads to the onset of the disease.
• Tongue Appearance Analysis:
  • Red Tip and Edges: Indicates external wind-heat rather than internal injury.
  • No Obvious Abnormalities in the Middle: Rules out internal injury factors like food stagnation.
  • Depression in the Middle of the Tongue: Suggests liver and kidney deficiency, but the symptoms are not obvious.
• Pathogenesis Analysis:
  • During humid weather, the heavy dampness affects the child’s weak spleen and stomach, manifesting as loss of appetite and fatigue.
  • When invaded by wind-cold, the cold enters the body, causing the pores to contract, and internal heat cannot be dissipated, leading to fever, pain, and other inflammatory reactions.

3. Treatment Plan:

• Recommended Chinese Patent Medicine:
  • Children’s Chai Gui Fever-Reducing Granules:
    • Ingredient Analysis: Ingredients like Bupleurum, Cinnamon Twig, and Pueraria have the effect of relieving exterior symptoms, reducing fever, and dispersing damp-heat.
    • Applicable Symptoms: Suitable for fever, headache, vomiting, and other symptoms caused by external wind-cold and internal damp-heat.
  • Medication Recommendations: Continue taking the medicine, do not panic even if symptoms worsen, and closely monitor changes in the condition.
• Dietary Recommendations:
  • Avoid foods that increase internal heat, such as spicy and greasy foods.
  • Drink easily digestible beverages that do not increase internal heat.

4. Treatment Results:

• After one day of medication, the child’s symptoms significantly improved, vomiting stopped, and only mild coughing remained.
  • Traditional Chinese Medicine Explanation: Coughing is the body’s way of expelling pathogens, and it is not recommended to use cough suppressants as they may hinder the expulsion process.
  • Continue taking Children’s Chai Gui Fever-Reducing Granules to help the body completely expel the pathogens.

5. Changes in Tongue Appearance:

• The redness of the tongue tip and edges faded, indicating improvement in the condition.

Case Two: Adult Weakness – External Damp-Heat

1. Symptom Presentation:

• A patient in their 20s experienced weakness, fatigue, and drowsiness.

2. Traditional Chinese Medicine Analysis:

• Cause Determination:
  • Similar to the child’s case, it is also caused by external damp-heat.
• Tongue Appearance Analysis:
  • A white tongue coating indicates more dampness than heat.

3. Treatment Plan:

• Recommended Chinese Patent Medicine:
  • Children’s Chai Gui Fever-Reducing Granules:
    • Dosage Adjustment: The adult dosage can be appropriately increased, taking 5 packets at a time, continuously for 3 times, with a 10-minute interval between each dose.
• Treatment Results:
  • After one day of medication, the patient’s symptoms significantly improved.

Case Three: Recurrent Urticaria – Unresolved Damp-Heat

1. Symptom Presentation:

• The child experienced recurrent urticaria.

2. Traditional Chinese Medicine Analysis:

• Cause Determination:
  • Unresolved damp-heat is the main reason for the recurrence of the condition.
  • It may be due to improper diet or catching a cold again.
• Tongue Appearance Analysis:
  • Red edges and a white tongue coating indicate severe damp-heat.

3. Treatment Plan:

• Recommended Chinese Patent Medicine:
  • Children’s Chai Gui Fever-Reducing Granules:
    • Take two to three packets at a time, twice in the evening, and once in the morning.
• Treatment Results:
  • After one day of medication, the symptoms significantly alleviated.

IV. Conclusion and Recommendations

1. Determine the Source of Pathogens: Distinguish between external pathogens and internal diseases, as external pathogens are relatively easier to treat.
2. Understand the Pathogenesis: Grasp the underlying cause of the disease, rather than just focusing on the symptoms.
3. The triple burner is the pathway for the circulation of qi, blood, and body fluids in the body, and the occurrence of diseases is closely related to the dysfunction of the triple burner.
4. Understanding the concept of the triple burner helps to understand the characteristic of traditional Chinese medicine “treating different diseases with the same method,” meaning different symptoms can be treated with the same approach.
5. Tongue appearance is an important basis for traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and can reflect the body’s qi, blood, organ function, and the nature of pathogens.
6. Parents should learn basic knowledge of tongue appearance to better judge their child’s health condition.
7. When facing a child’s illness, parents should remain calm and not be overly anxious.
8. Actively cooperate with the doctor’s treatment, promptly report changes in the condition, and persist in completing the entire course of treatment.
9. Pay Attention to Keeping Warm: Avoid catching a cold, especially during humid weather when it is more important to prevent cold and keep warm.
10. Dietary Adjustment: Avoid consuming raw, cold, spicy, and greasy foods, and eat more foods that strengthen the spleen and dispel dampness.
11. Strengthen the Constitution: Engage in appropriate exercise, ensure sufficient sleep, and boost immunity.