The key to good health
Your body is constantly at battle. Thousands of bacteria, viruses and toxins are inhaled and eaten every day, others invade us through cuts and scratches. You don’t notice this battle but your immune system is constantly fighting, unnoticed and often unappreciated.
Your immune system is the mechanism which keeps you alive. Many scientists agree that cancer is the result of a poor immune system unable to identify and destroy cancer cells.
Regulate your immune system with acupuncture and Chinese herbs
Chinese Medicine practitioners have been dealing with immune system disorders for thousands of years.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbs have great success at helping immunity by regulating energetic imbalances in your body and stimulating body signalling chemical such as hormones and neurotransmitters to bring your body back into good health.
If your defences are too weak, then Chinese medicine can strengthen them, if your immune system is over reactive (in the case of allergies and psoriasis etc.), then Chinese medicine is able to regulate your body’s reactions to a normal level.
Weak or overactive?
In Chinese Medicine we see a weakened immune system as being a result of QI DEFICIENCY in the Lungs and the Spleen. This is caused by an inadequate diet, hectic lifestyle, and genetic predisposition. Treatment is focussed primarily on tonifying these organ functions.
Over-reactive immune systems are caused by a QI IMBALANCE usually starting in the Kidneys. Chinese Medicine treatment normalises this imbalance so that your body recognises what is harmless whilst still attacking pathogens.
The key here is that Chinese medicine does not treat the symptoms like a cold or an allergy but instead brings your immune system back onto an even keel. Once this has been achieved you will notice long term improvement in other complaints that you may have thought to be unrelated to your immunes system such as bad skin, impatience and fatigue.
You are unique, and so is your immune system. A properly trained Chinese medical doctor will tailor treatment specifically for you to get your immune system on track.
Some other tips
Take some herbs!
Chinese herbs have strong immunity-enhancing effects. You want to be looking out for adaptogenic herbs. These are plants that react to your body – if your immune system is too weak, the herb will strengthen it but if your immune system is over-reacting, it will calm things down.
Some very powerful immune adaptogens include Amachazuru (Jiao Gu Lan), Ginseng and Astragalus. Research at the University of Texas Medical Center in Houston showed that Astragalus extracts were able to completely restore the function of immune cells in cancer patients.
Destress!
Stress hormones suppress the immune system. Finding ways to reduce stress such as acupuncture, exercise, massage or meditation will improve your immune system.
Get regular sleep
Lack of good quality sleep disturbs regulation of key chemicals produced by the immune system to fight infection. In fact, sleep deprivation (less than 7 hours a night) has been shown to triple your chances of getting ill. This is why when you have an infection your body forces you to feel tired so that you can help fight the pathogens through sleep.