Did you know that acupuncture can be used to prevent colds and the flu, and can help speed up recovery if you catch them?

As the fall season ramps up, people are more likely to come down with colds and the flu. Getting sick is never fun, as it interferes our work, our school, and even our routine daily activities. For some people, over-the-counter medications can be helpful in addressing the symptoms of a cold or the flu, but they have little effect in healing the condition or shortening its duration.

Regular acupuncture treatments help boost the immune system and support a natural immune response. This bolstering of the immune system will help prevent colds or the flu from taking hold in the body.

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.

Acupuncture Point: Du 14

One particularly important point to attend to is Du 14. Located below the spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebrae, approximately where the collar of a T-shirt sits on the neck. Du 14 activates the circulation of blood and Qi to strengthen the outer defense layers of the skin and muscle (Wei Qi) so that germs and viruses cannot enter through them. This point is often used to ward off as well as shorten the duration of colds and flu.

Seasonal acupuncture treatments just four times a year also serve to tone the inner organ systems and can correct minor annoyances before they become serious problems.

Would you like to learn more about how acupuncture can help you?

Contact us today for a consultation. A custom-tailored treatment plan will be created to suit your individual needs so that you can feel better quickly and safely!