Life doesn’t pause when we get sick. We have people that depend on us and places to be. Most of the time, we cannot stop and rest to let our body recover from the cough, nasal congestion and headache. This can make the illness worse and possibly last longer. Our immune system is taxed by poor sleep, stress, low quality food, and exterior illness. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs strengthen your immune system and, if you are sick, it can help you get better faster.
Acupuncture reduces stress, tells the body to focus on clearing out the pathogen (germs), and supports a healthy immune response. Acupuncture works at each stage of your illness; there are specific treatments to coincide with each stage and treatments are tailored to each person. Getting acupuncture while you are sick will help alleviate the symptoms as well as address the root cause of the illness. This will decrease the recovery time. It also helps build your immune system and allows your body to respond faster to exterior pathogens (germs). When you get acupuncture regularly, you will find that you don’t get sick as often and when you do get sick, it is not as severe.
Many Chinese herbs have natural antiviral and antibacterial properties to them. There are over four hundred individual Chinese herbs. Each herb has a unique and specific purpose, and when they are combined with other herbs, the purpose may change.
At our office we have top quality herbs in a variety of different forms. We carry caplets, tablets, tea pills, tinctures, raw dried herbs, external balms, and patches. Caplets and tablets are about the size of a standard vitamin, and tea pills are much smaller; all three are compounded blends of herbs. Tinctures are liquid decoctions usually in an oil or alcohol base that are stored in thick, amber colored glass to reduce exposure to the sun. Raw herbs are dried and packaged to take like a tea. There are benefits of each type of herbal remedy and it is best to discuss which option is best for you when you come in.
Chinese herbs and acupuncture work together on the same root cause of the ailment. In general, two main types of patterns for acute sickness are wind cold and wind heat.
Wind cold illnesses are most common in cold climates like Summit County. Some symptoms are an aversion to the cold, chills, unable to get warm and clear, watery nasal discharge. The herbs for treating this pattern are warming, transform mucus, strengthen lungs, and supports digestion. They also increase lung function, making it easier to breathe. Acupuncture points for this pattern open up the lungs, reduce constriction in the chest and promote moisture generation in the lungs.
Wind heat illnesses are most common in hot climates but can also happen in colder climates. Sometimes, if not treated quickly, wind cold will transform into wind heat patterns. Some symptoms are an aversion to heat, fever, yellow thick nasal discharge, and sore throat. The herbs used are cool, reduce inflammation, vents heat from the body, and soothes sore throat. Acupuncture points for this pattern release heat, break down thick yellow mucus, and generate moisture.
Don’t let the occasional acute sickness become a common occurrence. Strengthen your immune system to get sick less often, or get better faster, with acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine.
Health Tip: Still have a lingering cough but feeling back to normal? Try one of these food remedies.
Easy Chinese food remedies for a lingering cough:
- Peel about 1/3 cup of fresh ginger and cut into small slices, boil the ginger slices with 1 table spoon of honey in 32 oz of water for 30 min. Remove the ginger and drink 8 oz hot twice a day until the cough is gone
- Half and core two pears, pour honey into the center core, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes or until the pear is soft. Crush the pear and eat it once daily until the cough is gone.
- Stop by my practice and purchase a Chinese Herbal tea remedy.