Are You Ready to Thrive?

We all dread the upcoming season. Not fall.  Nope, not autumn.  Not even winter.  I'm talking about cold and flu season, here.

In Chinese medicine, the theory is that colds and flus are caused by pathogens that get into our bodies through our skin.  So you know when your mom told you not to go outside without a jacket?  Yeah... she was right!

So what are these "pathogens?"  The main invading force is the wind.  Ancient Chinese blamed the comings and goings of colds and flus on the wind.  Much like the wind is there gusting at us one second and the next it's gone, so are colds and flus. (Okay, so maybe not as quickly as seconds, but you get my point!)

Wind will then usually combine with another pathogen inside our bodies.  Here we have several options, and these tend to differ from person to person depending on how their individual bodies react to the pathogen.  These pathogens are:

• Heat
• Cold
• Phlegm
• Phlegm-Heat

If someone is experiencing a wind-heat invasion, they will have sore throat, yellowish nasal discharge, body aches and sweating.

A wind-cold invasion will tend to present with a thin, watery nasal discharge and body aches.

Wind-phlegm will be a lot like a wind-cold invasion except that the mucous will be much more profuse and thicker.

Wind-Phlegm-Heat will often present like a sinus infection with thick, profuse and yellow or even green nasal discharge.

So how does one treat a wind invasion?  This depends some on the type of invasion that you're experiencing, as is always the case in Chinese medicine, but the main thing is to get the wind out of your body.  When using acupuncture or Chinese herbs, this is often done through promoting sweating.  Remember how the ancient Chinese thought that pathogens get into our bodies through our skin?  It was believed that these pathogens made their way in through our pores, and then got trapped and made us sick when our pores that had been open to allow the pathogen in then closed.  The logical trick is then to promote sweating so that our pores will open and force the pathogen back out.  Ever wonder why a hot bath or a sit in a hot tub often makes you feel better when you're sick? Yup! You're sweating out the bad stuff!

So the next time you think you might be getting sick, see your acupuncturist and herbalist to get the right herbal prescription for getting the sick out!  Also drink plenty of nice warm fluids and consider taking a bath or two.  Your body will appreciate the help in fighting the wind!

Yeah.. I said it... the F-word! The Flu! I know everyone is going through a bit of a panic with the recent swine flu news, so today I'm going to give you some natural tips to keep you and your family healthy!

1. Don't PANIC! When you stress out about getting sick, it prevents your Qi from moving smoothly. This in turn prevents your Wei Qi (pronounced "Way Chee" - your immune system) from being able to properly attack any invaders. So, in effect, when you stress out about maybe getting sick, you greatly increase your chances of doing just that! Don't do that to yourself!
2. Wash your hands frequently. It's the same old advice every time. If you wash your hands frequently, you're preventing much of the transmission of airborne disease. You don't need to use antibacterial soaps, either. The lather will lift the germs off of your skin and rinse them away down the drain. No need for the over-kill of antibacterial soaps. If you're unable to wash your hands frequently, consider using an antibacterial hand cleanser. But again, there's no need for this over-kill tactic if you have access to a sink with water.
3. Keep yourself rested. If you're rested, your body will be more ready to defend itself against flu-invaders! If you're exhausted, you can't put up the fight against germs!
4. Stay hydrated. If you're dehydrated, your Qi can't move smoothly, preventing your Wei Qi from getting where it needs to go to fight off the flu. It's like a river with no water - a boat can't move without it!
   
5. Consider getting Acupuncture and Chinese herbs. Your acupuncturist can help balance your body ahead of time to make sure you're functioning at full strength. If you do manage to catch the flu, make an appointment right away! Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can often stop the flu in its tracks! If the flu isn't completely avoided, your acupuncturist can help ease your symptoms and shorten the life-span of the flu as well as decreasing the severity of your symptoms. All of this can be done without the side effects of standard cold and flu medications such as drowsiness, foggy-thinking and over-drying or the mucous-membranes. You'll be back to your old self in no time!

The main idea here is to stay calm and be prepared. If you're as healthy as can be before an exposure to the flu, you're much less likely to succumb to its evil grips! And if you do catch the flu, make sure to follow the above advice to put your immune system in the best position to defeat this unwelcome invader!

Plum Blossom is another lesser-known technique that can be used by an acupuncturist to treat such complaints as colds, influenza and skin rashes. In Chinese medical theory, each of these is caused by a pathogen that is trapped in the body, usually just beneath the skin. To get the pathogens out of the body so that a patient no longer has symptoms, a Plum Blossom (see picture at left) may be used to gently tap the skin, opening the pores, giving the pathogen an escape route.

Now, I know what you're thinking, "It looks like a medieval torture device! You're not using that thing on me!" but I assure you, there is very little force applied to the tapping, and most people describe it as just that - a tapping sensation. Though there are needles on the head of the Plum Blossom, very rarely is any bleeding experienced.

I have found that the Plum Blossom is very good at cutting short the length of a cold or the flu. I like to use it on the upper back where the pathogens that cause cold and flu like to lurk.

When Plum Blossom is used on skin rashes, while it won't necessarily cure the cause of the rash, but it can be very useful in relieving any itching, redness or swelling in the area. To treat a skin rash, you must, address the underling cause, but it's important for a patient to get some immediate relief as well!

Is everyone around you sniffling and sneezing? Has the plague finally gotten to you too? If you're starting to feel like you're catching that cold or flu that's been going around, it's not too late to keep it from wreaking havoc on your immune system!

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs to the rescue!

While the best medicine is prevention, we all succumb to that miserable virus every once in a while. When it does finally catch up to you, consider seeing your acupuncturist! Using acupuncture and Chinese herbs, it's possible to:

* Get rid of the cold all together
* Prevent the cold from getting any worse
* Shorten the duration of your suffering
* Decrease the severity of your symptoms

There are many herbal formulas out there (you'll have to ask your acupuncturist/herbalist which one is right for the type of cold or flu that you have) that work BETTER than over the counter cold medicines. We have all suffered through the "brain fog" that decongestants leave in their wake, and we all deal it because it's worth getting some relief, but herbal formulas clear the pressure (without over-drying!) and leave you thinking more clearly!

So, the next time everyone around you is crumbling, visit your acupuncturist!