🌿 Incomplete Cold Treatment Leading to Arthritis
Though colds are minor illnesses, they must be fully cured—do not take lightly. Medical experts warn that neglecting colds may lead to rheumatic arthritis.
Rheumatic arthritis is a type of rheumatic disease, primarily influenced by climate. In TCM, the “six evils” — wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, dryness, and fire — are natural climatic factors. Normally harmless, they invade the body when immunity is low or when one remains in a particular environment long-term, thus triggering rheumatic arthritis.
Today, many young people ignore colds and coughs, believing they’ll resolve with over-the-counter cold medicine. Worse, after symptoms subside, they stop taking medicine prematurely—yet the cold remains untreated. Those with weak constitutions struggle to resist internal dampness invasion, turning cough into chronic pharyngitis or chronic tonsillitis. Over time, bacteria may trigger allergic reactions, invading joints—leading to rheumatic arthritis in mild cases, or even rheumatic myocarditis if bacteria reach the heart muscle.