Looking for ways to avoid the flu this year? These days, a lot of people are choosing to forego vaccinations for various reasons. Acupuncture offers a healthy and effective way to avoid the flu and the common cold. These viral infections occur more frequently in colder months as people spend more time cooped up indoors together, thus facilitating the spread of viruses.
Viruses are often harder to treat than bacterial infections. Speaking very generally, viruses are very small, cellular hijackers. They take over your body’s cells and use them to multiply. When you experience the contagious respiratory illness known as “the flu” (Influenza), you may have chills, fever, sore throat, body aches, muscle pain, headache, fatigue, coughing, and general misery.* Anyone who has experienced the flu knows how painful and disruptive this viral infection can be. The common cold is a similar condition with many of the same symptoms (although it is caused by a different virus and is not nearly as severe).
Prevention: Monmouth County Acupuncture for Boosted Immunity
Acupuncture can absolutely be used to improve immunity and help prevent the flu and the common cold or, when detected early, to keep more serious cases at bay. Studies on acupuncture’s efficacy have proven that there are certain acupuncture points that work to give the immune system a boost. As people around you begin to get sick, acupuncture can be an excellent way to strengthen your body’s ability to remain healthy and fight against illness.
The practice of acupuncture prompts very real physical responses in the body’s nerve cells, certain areas of the brain, and the pituitary gland (an endocrine gland that secretes hormones). Such reactions include the release of hormones, proteins, and brain chemicals/ neurotransmitters that control many functions of the body. As such, acupuncture can help to relieve pain (due to the release of endorphins), control hypertension, body temperature, improve mental state, and boost immunity.
Better Immunity through Stress Relief
In addition to enhancing the body’s immunity, acupuncture also provides serious stress relief—thereby even further improving your chances of avoiding illness. Let’s take a look at how this works:
The immune system is made up of billions of cells which travel through the body’s tissues, organs, etc. within the bloodstream. They work to fight viruses, bacteria, and any other foreign body. These foreign bodies are known as antigens.
Most of the immune cells are white blood cells, of which there are two types: lymphocytes and phagocytes. When the stress hormone cortisol is released, it lowers the number of lymphocytes, leaving the body more vulnerable to infection.
Additionally, stressed-out people tend to engage in unhealthy coping behaviors—including bad dietary choices, smoking, and drinking.
Acupuncture is one of the best ways to cope with stress without the use of drugs or any other unhealthy practice. It fights stress, anxiety, and other negative emotional states with the aforementioned release of certain substances in the body. Not least of these is the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Just imagine that you’ve had a long, difficult, unpleasant winter day. Your job or family obligations are stressing you out, and it seems that everyone around you is coming down with some nasty bug. Now, picture yourself in the serenity of our Monmouth County acupuncture office, becoming increasingly relaxed until you feel all of the cares of the day… just disappearing.
By choosing acupuncture, you’ve done more than simply reduce stress and improve your immune system. The practice of acupuncture is centered on the belief that a vital, life energy flows throughout the body (this is known as your Qi, pronounced ‘Chee’). This Qi makes its way through the body on a network of paths known as meridiens. Qi has two opposite forces: Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang (hot and cold, day and night, etc.) must remain in good balance in order for the body to work as it was intended—as a whole, harmonious and healthy system. Acupuncture helps us to achieve this physical ideal.
To learn more about Red Bank Acupuncture for Stress Relief and Immunity, contact our Monmouth County rehabilitation office today. We also provide medical pain management, physical therapy, and chiropractic.
* Influenza can be fatal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that certain people become vaccinated, including older people, people with health conditions, and young children.
