How Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Can Boost Your Immune System and Help Protect You From the Coronavirus COVID 19
The World Health Organization states that Eastern Medicine, including acupuncture and herbs, has a significant role in enhancing the immune system and is beneficial in fighting viral and bacterial infections.
Strengthen Your Immune System with the 5 Pillars of Eastern Medicine
Eastern Medicine has several tools to help you fight bacterial and viral infections, and has effective ways to address each stage of care--from prevention of illness to significantly shortening the duration and effects of pathogen exposure to the body. This results in better health outcomes for you and your family, and ensures peace of mind.
The 1st Pillar: Acupuncture
Acupuncture is the practice of gently inserting very thin, sterilized needles (less than the size of a human hair) into specific points that represent energy centers of the body. A typical treatment lasts between 20 to 40 minutes. Many patients report a sense of relaxation and immediate relief of symptoms.
Acupuncture has been shown to be effective in the treatment of pathogens by strengthening the immune system by activating white blood cells, specifically T cells and B cells, which determine the specificity of the immune response to foreign substances in the body.
In Eastern Medicine terms, acupuncture promotes and balances the energy flow through the body, decreasing inflammation, and mitigating the body’s response to stress. Less stress means the body has more resources to heal.
The 2nd Pillar: Botanical Herbal Medicinals (Herbs)
Botanical Herbal Medicinals by definition consist of plant, mineral, animal, fungal or microorganisms and their metabolites that can be found in nature. The Botanical Herbal Medicinals prescribed by Eastern Medicine practitioners have been developed over centuries of clinical practice, and are naturally balanced and harmonized. For this reason, they are more acceptable to the human body and have fewer side effects than commercial drugs, which are typically composed of isolated compounds whose strength can have an adverse effect on the human body.
Botanical Herbal Medicinals activate the natural immune response of the body by nourishing and supporting the body’s own defensive network to fight off viral and bacterial infections. There are several formulas that prevent and treat bacterial and viral infections, and many are used clinically as substitutes for antibiotics, without the risks of antibiotic resistance and digestive imbalance.
The 3rd Pillar: Nutrition and Diet
Nutrition and food therapy is the original medicine that harmonizes the body with the seasons, with the environment and with your culture. The standard American diet (SAD) has led to epidemic rates of obesity, chronic illness, lowered immune function, and early death.
We use the nutritional therapies of Eastern Medicine to balance the body’s immune system, reduce inflammation, and slow aging.
These principles include invigorating the digestive system and enabling it to function more effectively, which in turn supports the hormonal system, the immune system, the nervous system, having a positive effect on all the systems of the body.
In treatment of bacterial or viral infection, a person with a productive cough would be discouraged from consuming dairy products and raw uncooked foods like salad. They would be encouraged to consume warm clear broths with cooked vegetables and lean protein to support healing and a return to health.
The 4th Pillar: Movement Therapy
The purpose of movement therapy, which is inclusive of exercise and massage, is to ensure a continuous and unobstructed flow of energy through the tissues and cells of the physical, mental, energetic, and emotional bodies.
In Eastern Medicine, movement therapy prevents the condition called stagnation in the body. Stagnation is when energy and/or blood do not flow smoothly or consistently. These stagnations can develop into pathologies such as pain, arthritis, coronary artery disease, and cancer.
We use Tuina, an Eastern Medical message practice, and other movement exercises such as Qi Gong and Taiji along with daily exercise routines to promote the health of our patients.
In the hospitals in China, patients are prescribed daily Qi Gong as part of routine medical care.
The 5th Pillar: Social and Spiritual Support
According to the World Health Organization, 60% of health outcomes are dependent upon the social support the patient experiences in their lives.
In Eastern Medicine, it is acknowledged that for people to heal, they need social and spiritual support, like participating in group exercise, healthy family structures, and a supportive health system. Eastern Medicine is unique in that it views the person as a complete whole-- body, mind, and spirit--who is connected to others.
We support our patients with excellent care. We provide the highest standard of medical care by supporting our patients with education, a customized treatment program, and encouraging them as they continue through this process of healing.
At Modern Medicine, our primary goal is in disease prevention but also to provide high quality, patient-centered care. Our customized treatments are intended to reduce suffering and ensure that cost-effective, comprehensive solutions exist to help your family. Our hearts go out to anyone affected by COVID 19.
If you would like to find out how you can get immune boosting treatments, products or have a telemedicine consultation with one of our doctors please go to this link:
https://www.modernmedicineabq.com/immune-support
What is the Coronavirus COVID 19
Much has been made lately about the Coronavirus, in particular, the variant of the virus that originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019. This variant is more properly named the COVID-19 (officially, SARS- CoV-2) variant of the Corona type virus. The Corona virus is nothing new as it was first identified in the mid-1960’s.
The uniqueness of this current strain of the Coronavirus the novel COVID 19 is that it had originally mutated through an animal population before being transferred to humans. Animal transfer to humans is nothing new. Viruses use animals as vectors to develop, to spread and to ensure their long-term survival. It is this fact coupled with the higher than normal mortality rate for this variant of the virus, that has made it unique and news worthy.
The Truth about the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 variant of the Coronavirus has generated a lot of concern and in some regions, hysteria surrounding the advent of this “pandemic”. The truth is, according to the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, that more people have died from the more common strains of influenza than have died from COVID-19. In fact, for this flu season that began in 2019, there have been 45,000,000 influenza infections resulting in 46,000 deaths in the United States alone. Worldwide, the average number of people who die from influenza is about 600,000 yearly. To date, there have only been 96,000 reported cases of COVID-19 resulting in 3,000 deaths worldwide.
The mortality rates for the more common forms of influenza are less than 1%. The mortality rates for COVID-19 are currently about 3%. Though the mortality rate is significantly higher for COVID-19 than for any of the other current influenza strains, it still means that 97% of all people who contract COVID-19 will make a full recovery.
According to the CDC, those who are at highest risk of developing complications due to a COVID-19 infection (or any other type of influenza), are those who:
have a compromised immune system
are 65 or older (with increasing mortality rates with additional years of age)
have diabetes
have heart disease or have had a stroke
have kidney issues
are pregnant
have chronic lung issues such as asthma or emphysema
have a Body Mass Index (BMI) above 40
Symptoms to beware of:
According to the CDC, the generalized symptoms of influenza include:
Fever
Cough
Sore throat
Runny or stuffy nose
Body aches, including headache
Feeling tired
In advanced cases of influenza, and especially for the COVID-19 variant of the Corona virus, the primary symptoms to watch for and to see a doctor immediately are:
High Fever
Barking Cough
Shortness of Breath.
How to protect yourself?
In this case, the best way to protect yourself from COVID-19 (or any strain of influenza) is a good defensive strategy. The CDC recommends the following:
Wash your hands or sanitize often and thoroughly.
Reduce how often you touch your face – your eyes, nose and mouth
If you think you might be sick, stay home instead of coming into work.
When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve.
Socially isolate and reduce contact with others during the pandemic.
Stay informed about the spread of illness in your town and follow guidelines set forth by local and states officials.
Sources
Enhancement of immune cytokines and splenic CD4+ T cells by electroacupuncture at ST36 acupoint of SD rats:, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5391063/
Herbal plants and plant preparations as remedial approach for viral diseases. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4663710/
CDC Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
NOTE: For Virus updates in the United States, please refer to the Center for Disease Control’s website:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html
For Coronavirus updates worldwide, please refer to the WHO’s website:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019