• Asthma
• Emphasema
• Bronchitis
• Colds and Flus

Colds and Flus

Acupuncture to Get Better Faster - If you have already come down with a cold or the flu, acupuncture treatments can help relieve symptoms you are currently experiencing including chills, fever, body aches, runny nose, congestion, sore throat and cough. While bringing some immediate relief, treatments will reduce the incidence of an upper respiratory tract infection and shorten the length of the illness.

Acupuncture for Prevention - Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can prevent colds and flu by strengthening the immune system with just a few needles inserted into key points along the body's energy pathways. In Oriental Medicine, disease prevention begins with a protective layer around the exterior of the body called wei qi or defensive energy. There are acupuncture points known for strengthening the circulation of blood and energy and for consolidating the outer defense layers of the skin and muscle (Wei Qi) so that germs and viruses cannot enter through them. If you catch colds easily, have low energy and require a long time recuperating from an illness your wei qi may be deficient.

Asthma

Acupuncture is an ancient form of treatment based on the medical philosophy that energy flows through the human body in opposing "positive" and "negative" forces, yin and yang. Diseases, including asthma, are thought to represent an imbalance of these forces. Energy is said to flow through the body along certain specific paths, called meridians. By introducing needles into the skin at certain identified points along these meridians, the balance of forces is thought to be modified to the benefit of the patient. Very skinny needles several inches long are placed just under the skin at these particular points (often in the upper back and hand for treatment of asthma). They can be rotated manually, or a small electric current can be passed through them. The goal is to cause a deep sensation of warmth or numbness at the site.

Acupuncture has also been shown to have beneficial effects on the primary symptoms of asthma. It can improve pulmonary function and lessen the severity of asthma attacks.

COPD and Emphysema

The recognition and acceptance that acupuncture now enjoys in America can all be credited to acupuncture’s consistent effectiveness. In particular as it pertains to COPD, there is enough clinical evidence to warrant the use of acupuncture in COPD. Acupuncture has been clinically shown to reduce shortness of breath, improve one’s ability to walk, and to improve pulmonary functions testing, to include FEV, RV, and TLC. The use of acupuncture in COPD also contributes to a significant overall improvement in quality of life. In some instances, acupuncture may even help to improve one’s condition enough such that pharmaceutical medications may either be lessened or possibly eliminated altogether.

Traditional Chinese medicine is based upon the principle that energy (qi or chi) in the body flows along a series of channels, known as meridians, that run throughout the body. When an individual is healthy, energy is flowing in a balanced manner along these meridians or channels. Consistent also with the concept of energy flow is that when a person is experiencing a diseased state, it is because the energy flow along the meridians has become blocked or disrupted.

Back to Home