If your immune system doesn't seem to be working right - you get sick often, you have allergies, you've been diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder, you've got a skin condition - LISTEN UP.

I'd like for you to stop and think for a second.  Have you ever considered that the insides of your intestines are actually on the outside of your body?  We are actually one long tube from mouth to rectum and our intestines protect us from the outside world, just like our skin does.  Go ahead, sit with that for a moment ;)

I find this notion absolutely fascinating because in Chinese medicine, the Lung (which is in charge of your immune system and relates to the skin) and Large Intestine are connected.  Think of them like a married couple, they exchange ideas, support each other, etc.  If one becomes unbalanced, the other can easily become unbalanced as well.  In biomedicine, the skin and intestines serve a similar purpose in keeping the bad out and letting the good in and Chinese medicine matched them up!

So what does your intestinal health have to do with your immune system?  As I mentioned above, your intestines are a barrier between you and the outside world.  If the intestines are damaged or inflamed, they can let things in that should remain out.  When these substances are allowed in, it's now your immune system's job to destroy them before they can cause a ruckus.  

If your intestines are consistently allowing in these substances, your immune system gets stuck on high alert at your gut and can't be particularly effective elsewhere. This can be a difficult pace to keep and eventually your body gets tired - leading to a malfunctioning immune system.  Here are some symptoms that can be related to poor intestinal health :

• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Allergies
• Food Sensitivities
• Catching colds often
• Digestive issues like gas, bloating, constipation and diarrhea
• Acne
• Migraines

So what are some things you can do to improve your gut health to in turn improve your over all health? 

• Take Colostrum - Colostrum is the amazing part of milk that gives babies their first real boost of immune system.  It helps protect them until their own immune system becomes mature and can take over this important task.  You can get it in pill form, so it's super convenient.  What Colostrum does for an adult with a disfunctional immune system is it help to heal the intestines so they become a better barrier against the outside world.
• Drink water - Making sure you're getting enough water will help your body flush the biproducts of digestion and keep your intestines moving smoothly.  If a bowel movement sits in your intestines too long, you'll have more time to absorb things that put your body on high alert.
• Eat fiber - related to drinking enough water is making sure you're getting enough fiber so that your bowel movments can move.
• Take a probiotic - Probiotics are the good bacteria that help us digest our foods properly.  Your gut bacteria balance can be disturbed by any number of things including use of antibiotics, use of hormonal birth control medications and poor diet to name just a few.

Take the above steps to improve your intestinal health, and I'm positive you'll start noticing some improvements quickly!

Read this article first, then come back here.  It's a long read, so if you're a little short on time, just read Parts 1 & 2; they are the inspiration for this post.

Now that you're back, let's get down to business!

I have a certain type of patient who comes in.  I call them my "zombies." 

They know that I call them this.

We joke about it.

But really, it's not funny.  (I'm just the sort of person to laugh rather than cry when I'm in a serious situation)  These women (it's always been women so far) come to me exhausted, depressed and cold.  They can't get enough layers of clothing to be warm.  Many of them also have digestive complaints.  When I look at them through my Chinese Medical Eye, they're pale and they have no pulse, hence the teasing about being a zombie.

There's always one thing that ties these women together:  they have some sort of a nutritional deficiency.  For some it's a consequence of a disease that makes their bodies unable to absorb the proper nutrients.  For many, it's a consequence of being vegetarian or vegan and not getting enough of the right nutrients.

It's not that I'm on a crusade to enforce a certain way of eating.  I don't care one way or another what a person's eating habits are - until those habits start effecting their health in a negative way.

People never like to hear nutritional advice.  Especially when it goes against their morals or excludes their favorite foods.  But I often find myself having to suggest some pretty extreme changes.  That they add animal products back into their meatless diet.  Or that they stop eating dairy or gluten or sugar.

And even though I'm always nervous for these talks, many times the response I get is, "I knew you were going to recommend something like this.  I think it's time to try it."

Sometimes it takes hitting bottom to realize that we've got to try something new.

And that's okay.  We can't know what will work for us until we try it, right?

We're all different.  We can eat different things and get very different results.  We can exercise different amounts and in different ways and get very different results.  The trick is to find our own set of "different" so that we can be our vibrant, energetic, lovely selves.  And be understanding of each others' "differents," so that we can all be the best that we can be.

We all suffer from it at some point in our lives. Some of us more than others. It may be due to that long, hard week at work, or the 3 years you've been in college while working full-time with one more year still ahead of you and you'd really like to be done NOW so you can just sleep fatigue. No matter the cause of your fatigue, you may consider trying acupuncture to give you a little more pep in your day.

Acupuncture can help relieve the components of fatigue : Stress, unproductive sleep and lack of energy.

Acupuncture is a god-send when it comes to reducing stress. There are many acupoints that exist just to serve this purpose! (read Self-acupressure to try some of these at home, or work, or school... where ever you find yourself with a little extra time and need to relax!)

When it comes to improving sleep without the typical side effects associated with medications, Chinese medicine can't be beat! Chinese medicine reminds your body how to sleep efficiently, without the need to force it to sleep using a foreign substance. Acupuncture can help you fall asleep easier, stay asleep and make your sleep productive so that you wake feeling rested and ready to take on your day. All this is achieved without the drowsiness, "drugged feeling" or dependency that can be associated with medications.

As for the last component of fatigue, Chinese medicine is particularly helpful for regaining your energy. We've all worked ourselves too hard and noticed that we just don't feel like the energy is THERE anymore. Chinese Medicine helps your body to refill its stores of energy so that you can do all the things that you want to do in your day - and more! 

If you suffer from fatigue, consider Chinese medicine. You might be surprised at how much better you feel, and how quickly that energy can be unlocked!