Aversion to Cold (Cold Intolerance)

How Chinese medicine differentiates whole-body cold intolerance — distinct from Cold Hands and Cold Feet already covered, which are extremity-specific — the six patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Acupuncture only — no herbs.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. New, severe, or one-sided cold intolerance, or cold intolerance with unexplained weight change, needs medical evaluation (thyroid and anemia should be ruled out) before assuming a simple pattern.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for aversion to cold — 17 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
DU-14	Releases the exterior and dispels cold. Clears Heat. Regulates Nutritive and Defensive Qi.
BL-12	Expels external Wind. Regulates Nutritive and Defensive Qi. Stimulates the diffusing and descending of Lung-Qi.
L.I.-4	Releases the exterior and stops headache and body aches. Expels exterior Wind.
G.B.-20	Dispels Wind-Cold from the head and neck. Expels exterior Wind.
ST-36	Strengthens Spleen and Stomach, warms Yang, and boosts energy.
REN-12	Directly warms the middle burner and dispels Cold. Harmonizes the Middle Burner.
BL-20	Tonifies Spleen Yang and transforms Dampness.
DU-4	Directly warms the Gate of Life Fire. Tonifies Kidney-Yang.
BL-23	Tonifies Kidney-Yang and strengthens the lower back.
REN-4	Fortifies the body's foundational Yang.
SP-9	Resolves Dampness and regulates the lower burner.
SP-6	Strengthens the Spleen, transforms Dampness, harmonizes water metabolism.
LU-10	Clears Lung-Heat and soothes the throat.
L.I.-11	Clears heat and resolves the exterior.
BL-13	Regulates Lung Qi and stops cough; moxa can warm the Lungs.
ST-40	Key point to transform Phlegm in the body.
LU-5	Descends Lung Qi and opens the chest.

The Six Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Wind-Cold

Clinical manifestations: Strong aversion to cold with chills, no sweating, clear watery nasal discharge, stiff neck and upper back, preference for warm drinks.

Tongue: Normal or slightly pale body, thin white moist coat. Pulse: Floating and tight.

Treatment principle: Warm, induce sweating, release the exterior, disperse Wind-Cold.

DU-14 ↓ BL-12 ↓ L.I.-4 ↓ G.B.-20 ↓

Note: no moxa in the acute exterior stage. This is the generic exterior Wind-Cold invasion picture — no lung-specific or bladder-specific deck slide on this site matches its whole-body, non-respiratory presentation cleanly, so no pattern link is given here; points still link fine individually.

2. Spleen-Yang Deficiency View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Dull abdominal pain improved by warmth and pressure, cold hands and feet, loose watery stools with undigested food, poor appetite, abdominal bloating, fatigue and limb heaviness.

Tongue: Pale, puffy, tender body with teeth marks and a white slippery coating. Pulse: Deep, slow, and weak.

Treatment principle: Warm the middle burner, disperse Cold, tonify Qi.

ST-36 ↑ REN-12 ↑ BL-20 ↑

Note: moxa applicable throughout. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Spleen-Yang-deficiency slide.

3. Kidney-Yang Deficiency View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Deep coldness in lower back and knees, frequent clear urination especially at night, overwhelming fatigue and low spirits, cold lower body, loose stools or early-morning diarrhea, leg/ankle swelling.

Tongue: Pale, puffy, tender body with teeth marks and a wet white coating. Pulse: Deep, slow, and weak.

Treatment principle: Tonify Kidney-Yang, warm the Gate of Life Fire.

DU-4 ↑ BL-23 ↑ REN-4 ↑

Note: moxa applicable throughout. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Kidney-Yang-deficiency slide.

4. Cold-Damp Invading the Spleen View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Heavy sensation in body and limbs, bloating and fullness in the upper abdomen, loose or watery stools, thick white greasy tongue coating, head feels heavy as if wrapped in cloth.

Tongue: Pale, swollen body with teeth marks, thick white greasy coating that looks excessively moist. Pulse: Soggy or slippery and slow.

Treatment principle: Dry Dampness, strengthen the Spleen, promote urination.

ST-36 ↑ SP-9 ↓ REN-12 ⊥ SP-6 ↑ BL-20 ⊥

Note: moxa applicable on BL-20. Direct match with this site's own Cold-Dampness-invading-the-Spleen slide.

5. Wind-Heat Invading the Lungs View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Fever stronger than chills, sore or painful throat, cough with thick yellow phlegm, thirst or dry mouth, mild aversion to cold (less than the fever).

Tongue: Red tip, thin yellow coating, body slightly red. Pulse: Floating and rapid.

Treatment principle: Disperse Wind-Heat, clear Heat, resolve toxicity.

L.I.-4 ↓ LU-10 ↓ L.I.-11 ↓

Note: no moxa. Matched to this site's own Invasion-of-Lungs-by-Wind-Heat slide via the fever/sore-throat/yellow-phlegm symptom set.

6. Cold-Phlegm in the Lungs View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Cough with abundant white watery or frothy phlegm, rattling throat sounds, chest tightness and shortness of breath, feeling cold especially with cold hands/feet, no thirst, only wants warm drinks.

Tongue: Pale, swollen body with a thick white greasy or slippery coating. Pulse: Slippery and slow.

Treatment principle: Warm the Lungs, stop cough, resolve Phlegm-fluid retention, disperse Cold.

BL-13 ↑ EX-B-1 (Dingchuan) ⊥ ST-40 ↓ LU-5 ↓

Note: moxa applicable on BL-13. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Cold-Phlegm-in-the-Lungs slide. EX-B-1 (Dingchuan, "Calm Asthma") has no dedicated deck page on this site, hand-added here since it is the source's named point for wheezing and rattling breath.

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