Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) focuses on health maintenance and in the treatment of disease emphasizes on enhancing the body's resistance to illnesses. The external causes of illness in TCM are determined by the six pernicious influences: wind, cold, heat, dryness, dampness, and summer heat. Climate changes can trigger symptoms like coughs, fever, headaches and an aversion to cold. Internal causes, such as imbalance of the body energy and abnormal Qi activity in the lungs or other related organ systems, like the liver, spleen and stomach, can lead to a persistent cough.
