Question

A five-month-old baby sometimes has a runny nose and sometimes doesn’t, but is in good spirits, with normal eating and sleeping habits, as well as normal bowel movements and weight. However, the baby has been running a nose since December 24th, lasting for five days. There is also a slight cough, possibly due to catching a cold. The treatment methods used and their effects: Starting from December 26th, the baby has been taking roxithromycin and Yocandan, but the symptoms have not improved after three days, and assistance is urgently sought.

Answer

The baby’s nasal discharge comes and goes, but the amount of mucus is not significant, so it can be ruled out that it is due to wind-cold. If it were wind-cold, it would be accompanied by symptoms such as feeling cold, high fever, continuous clear nasal discharge, and hiccups. The baby’s condition may be due to both lung-heat and external coldness because lung-heat causes the superficial capillaries to relax, making it easier to catch external coldness. At this time, ginger water should not be used as it may exacerbate lung-heat. It is recommended to take medication that clears lung-heat, and since the external coldness is not severe, it will naturally disappear after clearing the lung-heat. You can try giving Huanglian Shangqing tablets. The best course of action is to seek a diagnosis from a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in person.