Archive for October, 2009

The holidays are soon approaching, but it’s also the season for colds and flu. Traditional Chinese Medicine has its own classification system of these viral infections and categorizes them as “Wind Attacks” based on presentation of symptoms. Wind Attacks are characterized into two basic categories: Wind-Cold and Wind-Heat. Symptoms can include chills, fever, headache, sore throat, body-aches, runny nose, nasal congestion, cough, general fatigue/weakness and phlegm.

The treatment principles for these manifestations of Wind Attack are to expel the wind, eliminate other pathogens, and strengthen the patient’s constitutional energy (Qi or Chi). Cupping is one method used during a cold or flu to draw the pathogen to the surface to be released, thereby shortening the length of a cold.

Several studies have demonstrated that herbal medicine and acupuncture reduce the incidence of upper respiratory infection and shorten the course of disease. It’s highly beneficial to get treated at the onset of your symptoms, so don’t wait a week for symptoms to get worse. Your acupuncturist can show you how you can protect yourself from catching colds and determine what methods will be most effective for you based on your needs.

Dhanell Azada, LAc
Licensed Acupuncturist

Healing Tip of the Week

Prevention is the key to fighting a cold or flu. Boost your body’s protective energy (immune resistance) by:

• eating a smart, balanced diet
• getting enough rest to feel more centered
• exercising a bit everyday to move the lymphatic system
• practicing good hygiene to keep germs at bay
• dressing according to the weather (keep the areas of the neck and upper back protected from drafts of air).

“… In an Ayurvedic hospital in India, a regiment of meditation, rice, lentils, and massage, paid for entirely out of pocket for $42.85 per night, led to obvious improvement of my frozen joint.” This quote, excerpted from “A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care” by T. R. Reid, is the conclusion the author reaches after the application of several different orthopedic methods to treat his injured shoulder.

T. R. Reid, a veteran Washington Post foreign correspondent, brings his injured shoulder to a series of doctors all over the world, starting in Colorado. Through this initiative, we get to hear what a variety of national health care systems have to offer to a patient in such circumstance. Highlighting the treatment options suggested by these doctors and the cost associated with them allows us to acknowledge the existence of reasonable, already existing models of health care, which could serve as models to our ailing system.

To learn more, there is a well-written, informative review of the book in the New York Times on Tuesday, September 15. Abigail Zuger, M.D., the book reviewer, states, “Among health policy narrative, this book’s clarity, comprehensiveness, and readability are exceptional…”

You can access the whole article in the archives of nytimes.com/health.

Sese Novas, DC
Doctor of Chiropractic