Acupuncture for coughs and colds

Most people consider it normal to suffer from a few colds each year. The immune system can be strong enough, though, that you can go for an entire year without suffering a cold. Chinese medicine, through acupuncture and the immediate use of herbal medicinals, can stop a cold in its tracks and lessen both the severity and the duration of your cold. It can also help to clear any residual phlegm, mucous or stuffed nose left over once the acute phase of a cold has passed.

Other people experience more than just the occasional cold or flu. They may find that a cold will continue for a long while and the body finds it difficult to fully shrug it off. Or they may well recover from a cold or flu only to find that they contract another shortly thereafter. Western medicines to reduce a fever or free the nasal passages work via suppressing the body’s immune responses to run a fever or produce inflammation and mucus. It is the opinion of Chinese medicine that it is this suppression without truly ridding the body of the cold or flu that leads to an overall weakening of the immune system and the resultant colds that people never seem to be able to shrug off. Chinese medicine, whether acupuncture or herbal medicine, works to strengthen the body’s immune system to help you recover and also protect against future cold or flu. One advantage of herbal medicine is that you can have a herbal prescription ready to be taken immediately on the first sign of a cold without needing to come in for an appointment.

For some people a cold or flu will tend to turn into more serious conditions such as recurring bronchitis or a flare-up of an asthmatic condition. Acupuncture and herbal medicine can boost the immune system in order to prevent colds, thereby breaking the vicious cycle of colds turning into more serious conditions which make the body more run down.