Acupuncture and your immune system

Well it's on us again....the dreaded cold and flu season.  Prevention is obviously the way to go - here are some good tips:

 Immune System:

A good diet - which includes two fruits per day for women and children, 3 or 4 for men, veges and whole grains eg. brown rice, millet and barley for fibre.

Balance - Yes you have heard it all before but it is so important to get these three things right.

               Work - because we have to but also because it give us a sense of purpose

               Rest - which includes regular good quality sleep patterns as well as waking time spent relaxing

               Play - laughter and enjoyment of life and relationships.  Include exercise in this category because it doesn't have to be something to loathe.

Hygiene:

Make sure you wash your hands regularly - more germs are passed on this way than anything else, and of course cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.

Warmth:

Change of season brings temperature variations.  Not enough attention is paid to this but colds are often contracted by not staying comfortably warm.

A short word on antibiotics.  Just as these can be life saving treatments, antibiotics may also weaken the immune system over the long term as the pathogens tend to be pushed deeper, thereby causing a constant low grade inflammation which takes its toll.  Therefore try to be responsible and discerning.  It is also important to take probiotics to rebalance the stomach flora. 

Acupuncture works beautifully on colds and flu by releasing the pathogen up and out especially if caught in the very early stages.  I had a client  who had four courses of antibiotics but her flu accompanied by an especially bad cough, kept coming back.  During the first treatment she was already noticing a difference.  I know, hard to believe.  It knocked the socks off me as well.  She went back to work that afternoon and her workmates noticed a definite lessening of her symptoms including the cough.  Over the next few days her flu disappeared and this time didn't come back.  Treatments aren't always as miraculous as this but 99.9% of the time they certainly make a difference.  Through the use of needles and herbs we often bring 'lingering pathogens' up and out of the body including Ross River type viruses, even if contracted years ago.

Live, Love Life

Cheers

Robyn Verdel

Acupuncturist at Embrace Life