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ACUPUNCTURE: AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE FLU SHOT?
Acupuncture helps regulate and tonify the immune system, allowing the body to fight cold and flu viruses. Acupuncture provides the body’s various organs with nourishment by supplying more energy, fresh blood and organic fluids. It promotes healthy circulation and, in doing so, boosts the body’s natural defences so that it is better able to combat invaders. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), “Wei Qi” is the name given to the body’s defensive energy. This energy surrounds and fills the body, protecting it against attacks.
Common colds and flus can occur at any time of the year, but are most common during the coldest fall and winter months. Symptoms typically include headache, cough, nasal congestion, runny nose and, of course, muscle soreness. Colds and flus can be distinguished by their respective symptoms. TCM recognizes 3 types of colds: Wind-Cold, Wind-Heat and Humidity-Heat.
The main symptoms are as follows:
-Wind-Cold: Aversion to cold, low-grade fever, pain and stiffness in the arms and legs, scratchy throat, white and watery mucus, clear nasal discharge, sneezing.
-Wind-Heat: Headache, fever, runny nose, nasal congestion, aversion to heat and drafts, sweating, sneezing, thirst, swollen glands, sore throat, cough accompanied by thick yellow mucus, dry mouth.
-Humidity-Heat: Headache, fatigue, chest congestion, nausea, poor appetite.
-Flu: The flu can spread rapidly through a virus or a bacterial infection, usually in the upper respiratory tract or via the gastrointestinal system. The symptoms appear suddenly, starting with chills and fever, and followed by pain throughout the body. The flu can be accompanied by upper respiratory tract symptoms, including sinus congestion, runny nose, swollen glands, sore throat, cough and shortness of breath, as well as headaches, red eyes, muscle soreness and stiffness, fatigue and lack of energy.
Prevention is key under any circumstances and TCM is no exception. Patients can benefit a great deal from preventive treatment early in the season. A tonified body will be better prepared to fight viruses and bacteria, and may even be able to successfully avoid colds and flus. Maintaining ones energy and “Wei Qi” on a regular basis is the best approach. However, if you already feel the early symptoms of the flu, it is best to swing into action as soon as possible. A treatment at the beginning of a cold or flu can often have very effective results. Supporting the body with acupuncture can help it fight off attacks more easily.
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Alexandra Duclos, Ac.