Disease and Condition Overview
Common Cold is characterized by sensitive to cold, fever, stuffy nose, sneezing, running nose, coughs, headache, over all discomfort as the primary symptoms of a common illness. It can occur in any season, but mostly m winter and spring. Dependent on the seriousness, it is differentiated into common cold and flu.

Many early stages of infectious disease all have cold like symptoms, it is important to differentiate between them. According to clinical symptoms, season and body constitutions, in Chinese medicine, it can be further differentiated into wind cold, wind heat, summer heat and dampness, and cold caused by qi deficiency. Pathogenic wind is the common element of all these types, but pathogenic wind is often accompanied by cold, heat, summer heat and dampness. Usually, in the fall and winter, there are more cases of wind cold, in the spring, more wind heat, and in the summer, there is more summer heat and dampness. As for patient with qi deficiency, common cold can occur all throughout the year affected by pathogenic wind.

Pair-point Treatment Combinations

(1) Fengfu (DU16), Fengchi (GB20) (Fig 29)
Fengfu (DU16), Fengchi (GB20) both are located on the head and neck which are the pathway from where the pathogenic wind enter the body. Both points use in conjunction: they dispel wind, release the exterior, and disperse pathogenic factors. Appropriate for all types of Common Cold.

Needling techniques:
1. Fengfu (DU 16) perpendicular insertion 1 cun.
2. Fengchi (GB20) perpendicular insertion 1 cun.
3. Use even method, or moxa or pressuring the above points.

(2) Fengmen (BL12), Feishu (BL13) (Fig 69)
Fengmen (BL12): on the back, below the spinous process of the second thoracic vertebra (T2), 1.5 cun lateral to the posterior midline.
Feishu (BL13): on the back, below the spinous process of the third thoracic vertebra (T3), 1.5 cun lateral to the posterior midline.
Fengmen (BL12), Feishu (BL13) are both points on the foot-taiyang channel, located on the upper back. Two points combined, one elevates while the other lowers, they dispel wind, disperse cold, clear heat, release the exterior, promote lung and stop cough. Appropriate for cold caused by wind cold accompanied by coughs and phlegm.

Needling techniques:
1. Fengmen (BL12) perpendicular insertion 1 cun.
2. Feishu (BL13) perpendicular insertion 1 cun.
3. Use even method, or combined with moxibustion and cupping.

(3) Hegu (LI4), Quchi (LI11) (Fig 7)
Hegu (LI4), Quchi (LI11) are respectively the yuan-source point and he-sea point and hand-yangming channel. Both points disperse and open qi in the yangming channel, and clear qi on the face and head. Appropriate for cold caused by wind heat or accompanied by fever.

Needling techniques:
1. Hegu (LI4) perpendicular insertion 1 cun.
2. Quchi (LI 11) perpendicular insertion 1.5 cun.
3. Use reducing method.
4. Patient with a fever, need to retain needle a little longer, manipulate every 10 minutes. Measure changes in body temperature after 30 minutes or 1 hour.

(4) Dazhui (DU14), Shugu (BL65) (Fig 70)
Dazhui (DU 14): on the posterior midline, in the depression below the seventh cervical vertebra.
Shugu (BL65): on the lateral side of the foot, posterior to the fifth metatarsophalangeal joint, at the junction of the red and white skin.
Dazhui (DU14) is a point on the Du channel, located on the upper back. Shugu (BL65) point is the shu-stream point of foot-taiyang channel. These two pair points, one clears, one resolves, promote and elevate superior and inferior, regulate and harmonize the ying and the exterior. Appropriate for treating all types of common cold accompanied by over all body ache and discomfort.

Needling techniques:
1. Dazhui (DU14) perpendicular insertion 1 cun using even method. After needling, it can combine cupping. For wind-heat type, can prick a few drops of blood.
2. Shugu (BL65) perpendicular insertion 1 cun, use dao-qi or the "guiding qi" method.

(5) Hegu (LI4), Fuliu (KI7) (Fig 71)
Hegu (LI4): on the dorsum of the hand, midway between the junction of the first and second metacarpal bones.
Fuliu (KI7) : on the medial side of the lower leg, 2 cun superior to Taixi (KI3), anterior to the Achilles tendon.
Hegu (LI4) is the yuan-source point of hand-yangming channel. Fuliu (KI7) is jing-river point of foot-shaoyin channel. Both points combined, they can either induce sweating or stop sweating. Appropriate for common cold without sweat, or over-sweating.

Needling techniques:
1. Hegu (LI4) perpendicular insertion 1 cun.
2. Fuliu (KI7) perpendicular insertion 1 cun.
3. Reduce Hegu (LI4) and tonify Fuliu (KI7), induces sweating to release the exterior.
4. Tonify Hegu (LI4) and reduce Fuliu (KI7), strengths the exterior and stops sweating.

(6) Shaoshang (LU11), Shangyang (LI1) (Fig 72)
Shaoshang (LU11): on the radial side of the thumb, 0.1 cun from the corner of the fingernail. (According to thumb cun measurement)
Shangyang (LI1): on the radial side of the index finger, 0.1 cun posterior to the corner of the nail.
Shaoshang (LU11), Shangyang (LI1) are the jing-well points for hand-taiyin channel and hand-yangming channel respectively. This pair point combination resolves both interior and exterior and clears heat disperse pathogenic factors. It is appropriate for common colds with wind-heat syndrome, or discomfort in the throat.

Needling techniques:
Shaoshang (LU11) and Shangyang (LI1), use three-edged needle to prick a few drops of blood.

(7) Fengchi (GB20), Hegu (LI4) (Fig 17)
Fengchi (GB20) is the confluence point of foot-shaoyang channel and yangqiao vessel. Hegu (LI4) is the yuan-source point of the hand-yangming channel. These two points paired, one clears and one disperses, dispel wind and clear heat. Appropriate for common cold with wind heat syndrome, or those with headache and fever.

Needling techniques:
1. Fengchi (GB20) perpendicular insertion 1 cun.
2. Hegu (LI4) perpendicular insertion 1 cun.
3. Needling use reducing method.
4. If symptoms accompanied by stuffy and runny nose, heavily use moxibustion.

Commentaries
Acupuncture can work wonders in treating symptoms of Common Cold. The key element is to select the appropriate treatment pair-points.
For all types of Common Cold, first select Fengfu (DU16), Fengchi (GB20) especially when the pathogenic wind just invaded the body. Using these two points at the initial stage can relieve serious symptoms stuffy nose, sneezing, running nose, over all discomfort, etc. Also, constant massage of this set of points can effectively prevent the common code.
As for treating other symptoms of the cold:
Coughs -- Fengmen (BL12), Feishu (BL13).
Fever -- Hegu (LI4), Quchi (LI11).
Over all body ache --Dazhui (DU14), Shugu (BL65).  
Excessive sweating or no sweat --Hegu (LI4), Fuliu (KI7).
Sore throat – Shaoshang (LU11), Shangyang (LI1).
Needling, moxibustion, cupping and bloodletting can all be used depending on conditions.