The spine plays a major role in your immune system, which is the first defense against disease. Your spine, spinal cord, and spinal nerves control every aspect of your nervous system. Your nervous system and immune system work together to help your body heal, but nerve interference because of spinal misalignment can cause stress to the body and lead to a poor immune response. Maintaining chiropractic care can help your body function at its highest level. This can help with: your defense system, inflammation, improve circulation, mobility, and flexibility.
ACUPUNCTURE AND YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
You might think of acupuncture as a way to relieve your aching back or a chronic headache, but the practice, a form of traditional Chinese medicine that is more than 5,000 years old, could also help you avoid colds and flu this winter.
Acupuncture can boost the immune system and increase immune cells, improve the symptoms of allergies, which is an abnormal immune response. Patients receiving acupuncture have elevated immune-enhancing hormones and blood counts for up to three days after treatment. If you begin to feel the symptoms of the cold or flu coming on, it is important to visit our acupuncturist right away to get the most benefit from your treatment. Acupuncture can prevent colds and flu by boosting the immune system, help you get over the cold or flu faster if you already have it, reduce chills, fever and body aches, and relieve a sore throat and congestion.
Amy Babb, L.Ac., MAcOM
Margaret Marsh, M.S. L.Ac.
Q&A: What else can you do to fight against colds and flu?
This simple soup is an ancient Chinese remedy that is used when someone is experiencing a fever with cold symptoms. Cook this broth as soon you feel a fever coming on, with symptoms of chills and a runny nose:
Green Onion, Garlic, and Ginger Soup
2 green onions (use only the white part) cut into several pieces
1 piece of ginger the size of a thumb, cut into slices
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, cut into slices
1 to 2 teaspoons of brown sugar or honey
Put the top three ingredients into a pot and add about 2¼ cups of water. Boil it for 10 minutes and then add the brown sugar or honey.
