WE NOW ARE WRITING AN ARTICLE FOR THE HOPKINTON CRIER---"ASK THE ACUPUNCTURIST" Below is our first issue...enjoy!

Prevention of Colds & Flu's according to Traditional Chinese Medicine



In this forum, we (Geoff & Eileen) will be helping to assist you in your journey to health and vitality. We will be writing a weekly question and answer format, that we hope will allow you to understand how the powerful methods of Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Chinese medical theory, and other holistic & alternative medicines can be valuable in your quest for health & happiness! We will be taking requests from YOU, as to what conditions/diseases you would like to know about, and how you can take steps to help your body heal itself. Please write to us at the e-mail address: info@RootandBranchOM.com

In this first article, we would like to introduce you to how Chinese medicine looks at the development and prevention of colds & flu's. In the next issue we will focus on the treatment of this timely topic.
In Chinese medicine the concept of the body/ mind is composed of layers of energy, called Qi ("chee"). The Chinese believe all things are made of Qi. Some people may be familiar with this concept of Qi, however, few know how to use Qi to their advantage.
Chinese Medicine has its roots in the observation of nature and the elements, and applies these elemental forces to the workings of the body. In the case of flus and colds, the element that is most in action is wind, usually in combination with heat or cold. Initially this "wind invasion" of "evil" Qi penetrates the most superficial layers of the body's energy defenses. In TCM we call this outermost layer of Qi, Wei (pronounced "Way") Qi or protective Qi. This layer plays an important role in fending off "wind invasions" and preventing sickness. You might call this the "outer immune system" which is supported, connected, and constructed with the inner layers of Qi, making a sort of a 3-D web of Qi. The body's Qi needs to be strong enough to fight off invasions in order not to get sick.
Although acupuncture points are located all over the body, the points most vulnerable to wind invasion are located at the back of your head, where your head and neck join. This area houses a point that in Chinese is called "Wind Pool", because this is an area in the body's outermost protective Qi where it is more likely to be invaded and the wind "pools up". You can feel this vulnerability when you step into a cold breeze and your natural instinct is to lift your shoulders up to your ears and protect this part of your body. So, it would follow that you should cover your head and neck & protect it from wind invasion. A scarf is as important as a hat in this situation. Another very vulnerable time is when you are sweaty or wet, and your pores are open. This is a time when wind can easily enter the body, and you can literally "catch a chill".
Symptoms of a wind invasion often clinically look like the following: fever/chills, sore or scratchy throat, back of the head (occipital) headache & stiff neck, runny/stuffy nose, malaise/fatigue, body aches, etc. Typically we see wind/heat with fever and a very sort throat which hurts to swallow. Wind-cold is usually accompanied by chills and a scratchy throat. Both give the feeling of something being trapped within, and needing to be released.
So what do we do about it? TCM will tell you to sweat it out and do what we call "release the exterior evil Qi". Some ways of doing this are by strengthening your inner layers of Qi via hot soup with fresh ginger in it, or drinking hot ginger tea. Another way is to take a hot shower, bath, sauna, etc. If your fever is predominant and you have a sore throat that hurts to swallow, the home remedy of strong mint tea (4-5 bags in a large cup) can be extremely helpful both for releasing the heat and soothing the throat. Warm cooked food & drinks best support the inner layers of Qi to literally "push" the pathogen out. Finally, and of great importance, get some rest. If we respond to our colds early and take a day off, we often recover much more quickly. Pushing through often only prolongs the agony.
Strengthening the inner Qi, so that the outer protective Qi is strong and less likely to get invaded is the optimal approach. This topic, and how to treat colds & flu's, we will be covering that in the next issue.
So for now....COVER UP- & STAY OUT OF THE WIND! If you have questions about alternative medicine you would like answered, please feel free to write to your friendly, local acupuncturists Geoff and Eileen DePaula @ info@RootandBranchOM.com and see how we can give you a little piece of the "ancient Chinese secret" of health and vitality! : )

Sincerely,