Air Conditioning Sickness: It's More Than Just a Cold | Incheon Air Conditioning Sickness

Hello, this is Baengnokdam Korean Medicine Clinic.

1. Have you experienced this too?

After being exposed to air conditioning for a long time in summer, you might experience a throbbing headache, indigestion, mild abdominal pain, and diarrhea...

In severe cases, body aches, changes in the menstrual cycle, and a feeling of being lethargic all day. We commonly call this "Air Conditioner Syndrome."

But what do doctors say when you go to the hospital?

"It's probably just like a cold."

"Could it be irritable bowel syndrome?"

"You've been under stress, haven't you?"

But is that really all there is to it?

2. It's different from a common cold

If it were a cold, you would usually experience symptoms such as a cough, runny nose, sore throat, and a feverish sensation. In other words, it's a respiratory-focused infectious response.

On the other hand, Air Conditioner Syndrome involves diarrhea, abdominal pain, heartburn, headaches, dizziness, and even menstrual irregularities. There are body aches without a fever, disrupted sleep, and persistent lethargy.

Its characteristic feature is that the entire body's rhythm is disrupted. Ultimately, this means it has a different pathological structure than a common cold.

3. From a modern medicine perspective

In fact, Air Conditioner Syndrome can be understood within the framework of 'autonomic nervous system imbalance.'

The human body has a nervous system that autonomously regulates constant body temperature, blood flow, intestinal motility, heart rate, etc.—that is, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are in harmony.

However, when external temperatures change rapidly or when repeatedly exposed to cold air, this regulatory system becomes unstable.

As a result, the intestines become hypersensitive, peripheral blood vessels constrict, and in women, even the menstrual cycle can be disrupted.

→ To summarize, Air Conditioner Syndrome is essentially a failure of autonomic nervous system regulation.

4. How is it viewed in Korean medicine?

In Korean medicine, this condition has been addressed since ancient times. Representative concepts include 'invasion of external cold (外寒)' and 'disharmony of Qi and Wei (氣衛不和).'

Simply put, cold energy from outside the body enters the body, disturbing the 'Qi (氣)' that should protect the surface, and consequently breaking down the internal harmony of the organs.

In the "Shanghan Lun" (Treatise on Cold Damage), these symptoms are described as "being injured by cold (傷寒)."

However, while 'Shanghan' in the Shanghan Lun is not exactly the same as Air Conditioner Syndrome, it can be said that they show a common pathological progression in that the body is damaged by cold energy.

Particularly, unlike Gammor (common cold), it is a condition that affects the intestines and autonomic nervous system more deeply, rather than just the skin surface.

5. Why hasn't it been recognized as a disease?

The difficulty with Air Conditioner Syndrome lies here. Even when going to the hospital, inflammation markers do not appear; an endoscopy reveals no distinct lesions; and hormone tests all come back 'normal.'

Consequently, medically, it is said that "there's nothing wrong." However, patients clearly experience a feeling of their body breaking down.

In other words, Air Conditioner Syndrome is not detectable by medical metrics, but it is a real pathological condition that disrupts the entire body's rhythm.

6. How should we approach it?

First, a lifestyle strategy for recovery is needed.

• Avoid direct exposure to air conditioner drafts.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Keep your abdomen warm.
• Avoid cold foods and maintain warm meals.

And if symptoms recur or worsen, Korean medicine treatments are very effective.

Acupuncture therapy has excellent effects on stabilizing the autonomic nervous system. E.g., acupoints such as Naegwan (PC6), Joksamni (ST36), and Shinmun (HT7).

Herbal medicine, depending on constitution and symptoms:

• For Qi-deficient type → Bojungikgitang (Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang)
• For Damp-heat type → Gwakhyangjeonggisan (Huo Xiang Zheng Qi San)
• For Cold type → Geongangbuzatang (Gan Jiang Fu Zi Tang)
• For menstrual irregularities → Dangguijakyaksan (Dang Gui Shao Yao San)

Especially for those who repeatedly suffer from Air Conditioner Syndrome, recovery of the body's constitution itself is key, rather than just simple symptom relief.

7. In conclusion

Air Conditioner Syndrome is not just "something similar to a cold." It is a breakdown of the body's autonomous regulation and a systemic rhythmic disturbance where the nervous, endocrine, and digestive systems are all shaken.

Even if it's not detected by tests, the body is clearly sending signals. What we need to do is listen to these signals seriously and help restore body temperature and biological rhythms.

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