The incubation period for swine flu is usually about 1-7 days, which is longer compared with seasonal influenza and avian flu.

1. Clinical swine flu symptoms

According to the CDC:

“The symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu virus in people include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea. People may be infected with the flu, including 2009 H1N1 and have respiratory symptoms without a fever. Severe illnesses and deaths have occurred as a result of illness associated with this virus.”

Part of the patients’ condition can rapidly progress, with a sudden high fever of over 39 °C, and even secondary onset to severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary hemorrhage, pleural effusion, pancytopenia, renal failure, sepsis, shock and Reye syndrome, respiratory failure and multiple organ damage, leading to death.

Swine flu symptoms

Pulmonary signs often are not so obvious, and some patients can be heard moist rales or present pulmonary consolidation and so on.

3. The prognosis of swine flu

The prognosis of human infection with swine flu subtype virus are favorable; while poor prognosis for those infected with H1N1 virus, case-fatality rate of about 6%.

4. Chest radiograph for swine flu

When combined with pneumonia lung, slice images can be seen. In serious cases, a wide range of slice images can be seen.

From recent experience on treating influenza cases, which were inclined to Influenza A (H1N1), it looks like that pathogens themselves cross impact each other. It is said that dry and sore throat is the major sign and symptom for Influenza A (H1N1). The sore throat is caused by dryness and the pain extends along to the cardia of the stomach. Now one of the patients was with symptoms of dry and sore throat, but not extending to the cardia of the stomach. From that above-mentioned signs and symptoms, we can determine the nature and characterize this Influenza A (H1N1) as wind cold combining with dryness. As per Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Influenza A (H1N1) should be treated with method of combining with salt and sour flavor, which is the guideline of decoction rules. Clinically in treating flu of this kind of attribute, the formula of Chai hu gui zhi long mu tang featuring Clam powder and Xi xin would be the first option. After medication, dryness qi knotted on throat would be soaked by the salt flavor of Clam and Oyster powder, while dispelled out from Yin to Yang by Xi Xin. Chai hu and Gui zhi work to resolve superficies from Shao yang to Tai yang. Dryness qi impairs yin so that Influenza A (H1N1) lead to yin knot consequentially. It looks like Yang syndrome, but in fact it is Yin syndrome. After taking medication, patient would breathe hot air, which indicates that heat transformed from dryness is vented via breath. Exterior fever would, at the same time, be dispelled from Tai yang. By this method, all signs and symptoms of Influenza A (H1N1) would be eliminated. This therapy is a classic Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) remedy based on sequential transmission along six channels.

Hopefully this experience would be a little bit of help on treating Influenza A (H1N1). This kind of influenza is so tameless that even Yang qi in May can not eliminate it. I can not imagine how rampant it would be once its right season of winter comes.

The above view is just for reference only.

Outbreak of A/H1N1 flu

As outbreak of A/H1N1 flu has been confirmed in more and more schools in China, students and teachers are in quarantine and classes have been suspended. This story about H1N1 epidemic does cause public panic and many people susceptible to flu are so upset that they consult to the doctors to prescribe some medicine for prevention.

Some people, however, might be curious about why they would still get flu since they are strong and work out on daily basis.

Why we got flu
As a matter of fact, some microorganism does exist in the air all the time. But microorganism probably can not survive if circumstance is not right for them due to their simple structure.

Normally these microorganisms are no harm to people. But only when our immune system is impaired and become vulnerable, this microorganism would attack us. Once these microorganisms penetrate into our body, they are reproducing rapidly. When the sufferer stay in a populous, narrow and windtight space, the toxin expelled in this area are relatively higher and it probably causes other people infected.

That is the main reason why of outbreak of respiratory disease. In ancient China, this pathogen is called Tian Shou (nature granting), which means pathogen in the air.

Flu epidemic and Five Element Theory

Due to the difference of climate and environment, epidemic has its own popular, seasonal and regional characteristics. Now it is autumn and, as per Five Element Theory, the season of autumn is associated with the element of metal, which is a time for letting go of the old. Autumn host dryness, belongs to metal, corresponds with lung qi. So in autumn the lung are vulnerable to the sickness due to they originate from the same source.

From Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, lung governs management and regulation, among including lung can also regulate the change of external solar terms. In nature, the solar terms change, every 3 days as a Qi, 5 days a Hou, and 15 days a Jie Qi (Solar Terms). No matter it changes from cold weather to heat weather or from heat weather to cold weather, Solar Terms progress slowly to make people adapt to the change. During that procedure, lung gradually acquires the ability of governing management and regulation. However, due to overuse of air conditioner and central heating, lung is unable to adjust to the unpredictable climate.

There is a peak of patients with Allergic Rhinitis (PAL) these days, which also shows that many people are deficient with lung qi and with weak ability of governing management and regulation. That might be the major cause for this epidemic.

Actually this epidemic of H1N1 flu is not something new. From the perspective of Chinese medicine, H1N1 is just another influenza, which is nothing different from normal flu or seasonal flu in nature.

On June, 11th, Xu, a supervisor of a network company, had symptoms of sore throat and fever. After taking antibiotics by himself and got nowhere, he turned to Guangdong Province Chinese Medicine Hospital. On June, 12th, throat swab showed positive of Influenza A (H1N1). On June, 13th, he was sent to Isolation Wards to receive therapy. When he was in the hospital, the body temperature was 38.7°C, with sore throat, cough, fatigue, congestion of throat (++) and acute tonsillitis.

The doctors were summoned together to give a diagnosis and described only herbal tea. Xu was, at first, skeptical about this therapy of using only herbal tea instead of Tamiflu. But the fact was that he was already down with fever after 24 hours. And all other symptoms were eliminated in 72 hours. 4 days later throat swab showed negative of Influenza A (H1N1).

The theory behind cure swine flu
From the perspective of Chinese Medicine, swine flu is no difference with other regular influenza. Since Chinese medicine can treat other flu, it can also treat swine flu. The base theory for TCM is that it does not kill swine flu virus at all, instead it just adjusts our body environment and creates a favorable battle field for our immune system. It tries to remove those internal conditions in the body that nourish the virus.

It is understandable that people are still skeptical about can Chinese herbal medicine help swine flu? Seemingly they are lack of deep understanding of the theory of TCM. And it is worthy to repeat again that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) must be tailored to the individuals. It is not one-size-fit-all remedy.

But from the feedback comments, some people are still skeptical about vaccine’s safety, effectiveness, and protection period of the vaccine. They said they don’t want to be the guinea pig in the first place. What is more, the government is just planning to vaccinate 5 percent of the population by the end of the year. That means that not all of the population is covered. So Traditional Chinese Medicine would still be the first priority to fight H1N1 (swine flu) for most of the Chinese.

Herbal Tea to prevent and treat Influenza A (H1N1)
Recently official expert and herbalist from Henan drug authority have also released their formulas trying to contain the H1N1 virus. These formulas are prescribing, as per Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, to prevent and treat H1N1 flu.

1.Influenza A (H1N1) Preventing Herbal Tea

Ingredients
     Jin yin hua………15g
     Sang ye………10g
     Lu geng………10g
     Sheng yi ren………15g
     Xing ren………5g
     Gan cao………3g

Applications
     -Clearing heat-toxicity
     -Dispersing lung qi
     -Eliminating dampness

Decocting with water for over 45 minutes; One dosage per day, continuous 3 days; Suggesting not using for a long run..

 2.Two H1N1 influenza (swine flu) treatment formulas

Formula 1

Ingredient
     Niu Bang Zi………15g
     Ju geng………10g
     Er hua………20g
     Lian qiao………15g
     Huang qin………15g
     Jue hong………12g
     Jiang can………15g
     Gan cao………6g

Indications
     -Underlying heat-toxicity
     -Phlegm heat
     -Retention of phlegm
Signs and symptoms: Cough, Cough up phlegm, sore throat, yellow color of urine, red tongue tip, yellow coating and rapid pulse rate.

Applications
     -Clearing heat-toxicity
     -Dispersing lung qi
     -Eliminating dampness

Decocting with water for over 45 minutes; One dosage per day, continuous 3 days; Suggesting not using for a long run.

Flavored herbals
-Ma huang and Xing ren added for oppression in chest.
-Sheng si gao and Yu xing cao added for thick and sticky phlegm and excessive heat
-Ling yang jiao added for last excessive heat
-Chuan bei and Ting li zi added for plenty of phlegm 

Formula 2

Ingredient
      Bai kou ren………10g
      Xing ren………10g
      Yi yi ren………30g
      Hua si………30g
      Chuan pu………15g
      Huo xiang………15g
      Huang qin………15g
      Zhu ye………10g
      Bai xia………15g

Indications
      -Lingering dampness pathogen
     -Sticky heat pathogen
Signs and symptoms: Heat, oppression in chest, poor appetite, abdominal distention,, red tongue tip, white grease/thin yellow coating and rapid pulse rate.

Applications
      -Clearing heat-toxicity
      -Eliminating dampness
Decocting with water for over 45 minutes; One dosage per day, continuous 3 days; Suggesting not using for a long run.