Acupuncture for Prevention and Treatment of Colds and Flus
With the weather changing, and cold and flu season upon us, you may well be looking for ways to support your immune system. Have you considered how acupunture might help you ward off sickness?
Q: Is acupuncture useful for preventing colds and flus?
In Chinese medicine, colds and flus are viewed differently than they are in conventional medicine. They are seen as caused by invasion of the pathogens: wind, cold, damp, and/or heat.
Practitioners of Eastern medicine look at and address the strength of the “protective qi”, or energy, of the patient, and try to tonify the qi to prevent invasion of those pathogens. If there is any dysfunction of the organ systems that may predispose a person to catching a cold, those are also treated. For example, the spleen is responsible for digesting food (spleen is actually a mis-translation of pancreas). If the spleen is damaged, it produces dampness which gets sent to the lungs. Having all that dampness or phlegm in the spleen and lungs makes it more difficult to fend off a damp cold invasion, which is how most colds start.
This description is simplified, but you get the point. Acupuncture treatment helps keep the body in balance, builds resiliency, and helps people to fight off an illness before it even starts.
Q: Will acupuncture help if I already have a cold or flu?
Yes, absolutely! Acupuncture is commonly used to treat symptoms of cold and flu. There are acupuncture points that alleviate congestion, relieve pain, reduce a fever, and treat coughs. It is also a gentle and effective way to support the immune system.
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