We hope you are embarking on 2011 with a courageous first step and a strong vision for the year ahead. As wellness patrons, we applaud your efforts to bring balance and health to yourselves, your family, and the rest of your community. The Acupuncture clinic is also starting fresh and with purpose this new year. We are proud to say that our community is growing, and with that expansion we feel great responsibility to keep you informed of new and seasonal trends happening in the health and wellness field. This newsletter is our monthly offering to you, an opportunity for us to share our wisdom and keep you informed.
This month be on the lookout for our old friend, the common cold. Twenty-two million people catch the common cold each year in the United States. Most know the symptoms of the common cold, but only a few know that the common cold is curable. Actually, traditional Chinese medicine has a thousand year history of treating the common cold and flu that dates back to the Han dynasty. Many traditional herbal formulas are still the first treatment choice for people who catch the common cold in China and some Asian countries.
Chinese medicine and Western medicine differ greatly in their understanding of the common cold and how to treat it. Chinese medicine practices according to the principle that in order for human beings to keep good health, they not only need good nutrition, vigorous physical activity, and a peaceful mind, they require harmony between nature and their physical body. When natural conditions change in extreme directions like extreme cold, heat, or moisture, the physical body is more susceptible to illness. According to a theory of TCM, cold and wind in the winter time damage the external defense system of the body resulting in symptoms of chill, sneezing, cough, and muscle ache.
This principle differs greatly from modern medicine practitioners who have found that viruses cause the common cold. They give little weight to the effects of weather on the immune system. And since medicine, vitamins, and over the counter drugs have proven ineffective, they rely on rest and heavy liquid intake as a treatment plan.
Chinese medicine treats the common cold by enhancing wei qi which governs winter cold symptoms. There are more than 20 Chinese herbal formulas for winter common cold based on each specific symptom. Chinese herb and acupuncture are able to diminish severity and reduce the duration of common cold even after onset.
Chinese medicine and acupuncture can also help prevent the common cold by enhancing the immune system by way of boost Wei Qi. Western medicine has still not found a good way to prevent common cold other then to control virus spreading by washing hands frequently.
TCM including acupuncture and Chinese herb provides a new choice when people come down with the common cold and there is no effective therapy available to them.
Our office is happy to answer any questions about acupuncture and the common cold, so please feel free to give us a call. We hope this information serves you well this January. And we look forward to seeing you soon.
Sincerely,
Guangli Xu, Lic. Ac.