Acupuncture is good preventative medicine and regular treatments during the cold and flu season can help a person stay healthy throughout. This is especially important for anyone who get colds easily. Acupuncture helps to increase the white blood cell count in the body, and studies have shown this provides a good boost to the im­mune system.

According to Chinese Medicine theory, wind can enter the body and bring about symptoms. Under normal conditions, the body’s immune system known as wei qi (defensive qi) keeps the skin pores closed and the wind out. However, if a person is over-worked, over-stressed, is eating poorly and not appropriately dressed, this defen­sive qi is compromised. If this happens, the pores open and in comes either wind-cold or wind-heat. Knowing about these two wind symptoms will help prevent colds.

Wind-cold, the milder of these, appears when a cold is just starting and there are few heat symptoms. Here the bug on the wind is just sort of dancing on the skin to see if it can gain entry. Symptoms include sensitivity to cold, shivering, sneezing, cough, runny nose with white mucus, little to no fever, body aches, stiff neck, no sweat­ing and no thirst. This is the time to load up on Vitamin C, drink room temperature water and drink miso soup with tofu and scallions. Taking a warm bath is good, but stay warm afterwards to help sweat off any pathogens. It is also a good time to get some Acupuncture to strengthen the immune system. Medicinal herbal teas are also rec­ommended.

Often, a person who is not really aware of what to look for will miss the wind-cold symptoms and the symp­toms of wind-heat will develop. These are sensitivity to wind, fever, sore throat, swollen tonsils, sneezing, body ache, cough, runny nose with yellow or green mucus, sweating and thirst. Now, plenty of rest and water are im­portant. Keep the head and neck covered. Drink chrysanthemum flower teas. Avoid stimulating foods like spicy, greasy, fried foods and sugar. These foods create mucus and worsen the condition. And, when a sore throat hits and the glands of the neck begin to swell, get some Acupuncture to further bolster the immune system.

Get the jump on colds and flu this year with a trip to an acupuncturist and ask about the benefits of some Chinese herbs tailored to the needs of your body. That way, when the wind tries to get you and everyone you know seems to be coming down with something, you’ll be way ahead of the game in staying healthy all year long!

Source: Acupuncture.com. “External Wind and the Common Cold Explained.” July 2008.
http://acupuncture.com/newsletters/m_july08/extemalwind.htm