Acupuncture Alive

Increasingly, people complain about chronic sinus congestionﾗallergic or otherﾗor chronic coughs and difficulty breathing. If frequently exposed, there are times, when we get a cold, flu or cough, which all may linger and possibly progress to bronchitis, laryngitis, or even pneumonia.

The pharmaceutical drugs that treat respiratory illness help manage symptoms and are life saving at times, yet their constant use comes at a cost. Drugs may loose their effectiveness over time, and are often accompanied by undesirable short- or long-term side effects. And generally, drugs do not address the underlying cause of a disorder.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)ﾗ mainly Acupuncture and Chinese herbal remediesﾗcan help. The practice of TCM presents a valuable alternative or addition to allopathic medicine. It also includes lifestyle and dietary recommendations to improve health.

CONCEPTS OF CHINESE MEDICINE

In Chinese Medicine the Lung is called the ﾓtender organ.ﾔ It has an opening to the outside world through the mouth and nose and is therefore susceptible to exterior pathogenic factors and to invasion by climatic factorsﾗliterally ﾓcatching cold.ﾔ In Chinese Medicine we also say that the Lung receives air, one of two sources of post-natal qi (the other source being food and drink). Good respiratory health builds our general health, or metaphorically speaking: ﾓputs money into our bank account of vitality.ﾔ

The emotion associated with the Lung is grief. If you are dealing with a loss, you may be more prone to respiratory illness. Acupuncture and Herbs could help prevent getting sick, while also lifting your spirits.

In TCM the Lung and Large Intestine are related, which is why TCM practitioners always look at the health of the gut in chronic respiratory complaints. With an overabundance of sugar and refined carbohydrates in our diets, the resulting ﾓbad bacteriaﾔ overgrowth in the gut is often connected to respiratory illness. ﾓBad bacteriaﾔ overgrowth also results from destroying ﾓgood bacteriaﾔ. A Dutch study demonstrated a link between long-term antacid consumption and pneumonia.

HOW TCM TREATS ALLERGIES

Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs relieve the symptoms of nasal congestion, cough, headache and fatigue. They boost the immune system, help build resistance against allergic reaction, and help prevent a cold or overcome it more quickly.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS

– If you are prone to seasonal allergies, begin TCM treatment 2-3 months prior to the usual time of onset. If you get spring allergies, the time to receive treatment is right now.

– If you suffer from a respiratory illness, seek alternative therapies such as Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM can be practiced in combination with allopathic medicine.

– Colds and coughs are treated very effectively with acupuncture and herbs

– Get acupuncture and take herbs at the very onset of a cold–such as a sore throatﾗand most likely you will not come down with a cold.

– Donﾒt let a cold progress to a sinus infection or bronchitis.

REMEMBER THE GENERAL BENEFITS OF ACUPUNCTURE

– Boosts the immune system.

– Acts on the nervous system, lifts low moods and relaxes hyper states.

– Counteracts the detrimental effects of stress.