Question
My child is now four years old, has a poor constitution, and is particularly prone to catching colds. Almost every time they catch a cold, it leads to bronchitis. The main symptoms are excessive phlegm and coughing. Once they catch a cold, they recover very slowly. The bronchitis caused by a cold in June is still not fully recovered, with symptoms varying from mild to severe. Moreover, during August, they had two consecutive acute cases of tonsillitis and were treated with intravenous antibiotics. In October, it was relatively stable with phlegm, and the coughing symptoms were relatively mild, with no medication used. Seven days ago, the cough and phlegm suddenly worsened, with wheezing sounds in the airways. The doctor diagnosed it as bronchitis and prescribed cefixime antibiotics for six days. The cough and excessive phlegm persist. I would like to know how to treat and improve this situation.
Answer
Acute pediatric bronchitis often occurs secondary to upper respiratory infections and bronchitis, characterized by bronchial mucosal congestion, edema, cilial cell damage, hypertrophy of mucous glands, and increased secretion. It is related to the invasion of pathogenic factors in the lung and spleen meridians. Treatment is divided into wind-cold cough and wind-heat cough. Wind-cold cough symptoms include frequent and severe coughing without phlegm or with thin white phlegm, nasal congestion with clear snot, sore throat with hoarseness, or accompanied by fever and aversion to cold, or general discomfort. Treatment should be based on dispersing wind and coldness, and promoting lung Qi and stopping cough. Wind-heat cough symptoms include cough with yellow phlegm that is difficult to expectorate, with the throat being congested and red or hot with sweating. Treatment should be based on dispersing wind and clearing heat, promoting lung Qi and stopping cough. According to the child’s symptoms, it is recommended to use appropriate Chinese herbal formulas or Western antibiotics under the guidance of a doctor for treatment. At the same time, attention should be paid to strengthening the child’s constitution to avoid catching colds. This can be achieved through appropriate exercise and dietary adjustments.