Can Acupuncture help if you have a cold or flu?
Often people stay home when they are sick and this is definitely recommended. Majority of people visit the doctor for medications or they are simply sent home after being told to rest, sleep it off while increasing fluids and nutritious foods.
The last time you were sick with a cold or flu, did you ever consider trying Acupuncture?
At Vyne Health, we try to inform all of our patients about the benefits of Acupuncture surrounding immune function particularly acupuncture’s ability to help lessen the severity of symptoms associated with the common cold or flu, simply by allowing your body to take some time to relax.
Often if you come down with a cold or flu it triggers your mind to cancel any appointments that may have been scheduled. We like to educate our patients that this is in fact theoptimal time to come in for an acupuncture session. Why? The onset of a cold, or being run down, can be your body indicating that you are exhausted or stressed, and stress reduction is something that Chinese Medicine practitioners often help assist patients with. Your practitioner will aim to assist your immune function through tonification techniques or will help your body release any pathogens through dispersing techniques to try and help you recover faster and feel better sooner.
When treating cold or flu symptoms clinically we have recognised that acupuncture results are always more effective if acupuncture treatments begin at the earliest stage or onset of signs or symptoms. At this stage we aim to "release the exterior" induce sweating and force out the pathogen i.e. cold or flu that is lodged in your body. Acupuncture treatments aim to speed up the body’s healing process by helping regulate balance within your body - one of Chinese Medicine's main philosophy and aim.
If you already visit an Acupuncturist, it is always good to let your practitioner know if you have experienced any symptom onset. If people around you at home or work are sick your practitioner can include specific points that are often used in treatments that boost the "Wei Qi" (Immune Qi) so that, fingers crossed you become less susceptible to falling ill by ensuring you do your part of keeping a nutritious diet, good fluid intake and allowing for rest and relaxation to assist recovery.
Clinically we notice people who experience high levels of stress, feelings of fatigue or have known allergies like sinus, sinusits, hay fever, allergic rhinitis, asthma have a constitution where their Wei Qi may be more susceptible to catching a cold or flu.
Our Acupuncture sessions are individualised to suit your body’s condition. We look into your past health status to determine your constitutional make up or if you were predisposed to frequent colds, flu’s, tonsillitis, allergies or any asthma as a baby, child, teenager or adult. We use the information gathered in combination with acupuncture needles alone, gua sha, glass cupping, moxibustion, TCM dietary advice or acupressure to help rebalance and enhance your body's healing ability.
If you have any questions about acupuncture or the services we offer please contact our team so we can help, we look forward to meeting you!
