Qilu.com·Lightning News July 1st Huoxiang Zhengqi Water is a summer must-have for many families, used to prevent heat stroke. In everyone's impression, people who suffer from heat stroke should drink Huoxiang Zhengqi water. This approach is actually wrong. It mistakenly confuses heat stroke in traditional Chinese medicine with heat stroke in western medicine. Heat stroke has strict diagnostic criteria and classification, and if not treated in time, it can be life-threatening.
Heatstroke in Western medicine corresponds to summer-warm disease in traditional Chinese medicine. Most of the common causes can be attributed to summer-heat or summer-dampness. Summer febrile disease mostly occurs after the summer solstice. It manifests as internal heat syndrome from the beginning. It is a severe heat syndrome in which qi is divided into yangming and evil heat, and the disease process can easily consume qi and damage body fluids. Traditional Huoxiang Zhengqi water contains alcohol, which will dilate capillaries when taken when heat-induced fever is caused by heat, leading to accelerated loss of body fluids, which is not conducive to alleviating symptoms or even aggravating the condition.
Huoxiang Zhengqi Water is mainly used to treat colds caused by exogenous wind-cold, internal injury due to dampness, or summer heat-dampness. Symptoms include severe headache, dizziness, chest and diaphragm tightness, epigastric and abdominal distension and pain, vomiting and diarrhea, etc. This can also be called heat stroke, but it is completely different from summer fever disease where evil heat is intense.
Heat stroke is divided into three categories
1. Premonitory heat stroke: in a high temperature environment, headache, dizziness, thirst, excessive sweating, weakness of limbs , lack of concentration, uncoordinated movements, etc., the body temperature is normal or slightly elevated ( Generally <37.5℃).>
2. Mild heatstroke: In addition to the above symptoms, the body temperature is often above 38°C, accompanied by flushing, profuse sweating, burning skin, or symptoms such as clammy limbs, pale complexion, and decreased blood pressure.
3. Severe heat stroke is divided into the following three types -
Heat cramps: It is a brief, intermittent attack of muscle spasms, which may be related to sodium loss. Heat cramps often occur when working in a high-temperature environment for the first time, or when exercising excessively, sweating a lot and only replenishing water.
Heat exhaustion : refers to a group of clinical syndromes characterized by hypovolemia after heat stress. Under severe heat stress, body fluids and body sodium are lost excessively, and water and electrolytes are disordered, but there is no obvious central nervous system damage. Heat exhaustion can develop into heat stroke and should be sent to the hospital for treatment immediately.
Heat stroke: The typical clinical manifestations of heat stroke are high fever, no sweat, coma, and an increase in body temperature above 40°C. High-intensity activity (exertional heat stroke) or inactivity (classic heat stroke) may occur in a high-temperature environment. In severe cases, myolysis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multiple organ failure, etc. may occur. The mortality rate can reach more than 30%. Need to be sent to hospital for treatment immediately.
So what are the treatment measures when heat stroke occurs?
1. Quickly get out of the hot environment;
2. Quickly measure body temperature;
3. Actively and effectively cool down, use warm water baths, fans, and air conditioners to lower body temperature;
4. Replenish water, preferably salty drinks.
reminds: Severe heatstroke must be sent to the hospital promptly to provide respiratory and circulatory support.
Treatment of heat stroke (summer-warm disease in traditional Chinese medicine) with traditional Chinese medicine
Summer-warm disease mostly shows symptoms of excessive heat in Yangming Qi at the beginning. The symptoms change rapidly, and there may be complex pathogenesis such as fire, phlegm, wind, etc. Changes, it is easy to see critical syndromes such as loss of body fluid, closed orifices, turbulence, and hemorrhage. It is divided into the type of heat entering Yangming, the type of heat injuring body fluids, the type of heat injuring lungs and collaterals, the type of heat entering heart and camp, the type of heat activating wind and the type of heat activating blood. The principle of treatment for summer-warm disease is to clear away heat and relieve heat. Clinically, syndrome differentiation and treatment must be carried out according to different stages and different syndromes in the course of the disease, such as clearing away pungent cold Qi, clearing away heat and releasing heat, clearing the heart and cooling the camp, cooling blood and detoxifying, and resuscitation. Extinguish wind, replenish qi and collect fluid, etc. Among them, the Yangming type is the most common. At this time, Baihu Decoction should be added or subtracted, and the amount of gypsum in the prescription should be increased to relieve heat, which can often achieve good curative effects.
The most important thing for heat stroke is to take precautions and try to avoid activities in high temperature environments, especially long-term or strenuous activities. Wear loose, breathable, light-colored clothing and replenish water in time. If you sweat too much, you can drink some salty drinks. Elderly people should use fans, air conditioners, etc. to cool down at home according to their personal conditions to avoid heat stroke due to excessive indoor temperatures.
Author: Chi Chenyu, Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Eastern District, Shandong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
