Thursday, June 14, 2012

Acupuncture for the Common Cold

Acupuncture has been found to be an effective treatment for the common cold, and is an excellent ally to give our immune system a boost during a time when our defenses need strengthening.  Typically, Acupuncture can help alleviate the intensity of symptoms, and often shortens the duration of the cold.  The treatment will vary depending on your specific symptoms, and your Acupuncturist will probably asks things about whether you have sore throat, fever, chills, cough, phlegm, headache, body aches, fatigue, and more.  The information you provide, along with your pulse and tongue, will help the Acupuncturist arrive at a diagnosis and treatment plan to help boost your body's defenses and get you feeling better as soon as possible. 

Some people are under the impression that they shouldn't come in for a treatment if they have a cold.  We ultimately leave that decision up to you, and we certainly encourage you to stay home in bed, resting, if that feels like the best place for you to be.  A high fever, a persistent, uncontrollable cough, or vomiting, would all be good reasons to stay home and rest.  However, if you feel well enough to come to the clinic, there are a lot of things we can do to help point your body back in a healing direction.   

Often people are concerned about their symptoms disturbing other patients in the community setting.  While this is a valid concern, we would like you to be able to come get treatment if possible, and sometimes coughing or sneezing dissipates during a treatment.  We take measures to keep other patients germ free, such as switching out the blanket that covers your chair after your done, with a clean blanket.  We also have hand sanitizer and tissues in the room, and of course as always, all the needles are packaged in sterile containers and are disposed of after a single use.  If you are unsure of the best choice in your particular situation, you can always call us to explain your symptoms and get our opinion about the best plan for you.

Acupuncture encourages your body to shift back into a healthy balance, so, in applicable cases, the treatments would be aimed at clearing heat (fever, sore throat, inflammation), soothing the lungs to alleviate cough, alleviating head and body aches, soothing an upset stomach, and strengthening your immune system to fight off whatever pathogen is causing the symptoms.  Beyond the Acupuncture treatment, we have various herbal lozenges and syrups to soothe sore throats, as well as several herbal formulas and herbal teas to help support your process of recovery and healing.


3 comments:

  1. This treatment looks to be good. We can solve it by common cold products.

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  2. It's a nice post by having the treatment for the common cold which is good and realistic, Thanks for the nice sharing.

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  3. Very Interesting and useful information. Keep sharing the blogs.
    Clinical studies have suggested that using acupuncture as a preventative approach to colds and flu can reduce the incidence of upper respiratory tract infection and shorten the length of the illness.Acupuncture in Columbia MD

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