i thought i would offer you all these "stay healthy" tips to ward off the nasty flu that seems to be lurking around every corner. these tips were just sent to us by our acupuncturist, Lisa Welden L.Ac. read below......
"There is a lot of hype around the flu season, vaccinations, and the typical doom and gloom that pervades the media. I'd like to sprinkle some good, old-fashioned (thousands of years old), tried and true ways for you to stay healthy and boost your immune system this year. If you suffer from seasonal allergies (Cedar Fever is just around the corner), make sure you are putting some of these ideas into action as well.
The best way to stay healthy is through prevention. Besides washing your hands often (don't use anti-bacterial soap - it creates bacterial resistance) and staying away from sick people, here are some things you can do:
1) Acupuncture: acupuncture can be targeted to specifically boost your immune system. It also helps to reduce stress. Research shows a direct correlation between high stress levels and decreased immune function.
2) Diet: reduce sugar and dairy as much as possible from your diet. Dairy tends to "goop" up the system and create more phlegm and congestion. Sugar feeds bacteria that creates infection, and depresses your immune system.
3) Vitamin D: most of the U.S. population is clinically deficient in vitamin D. You get most of your vitamin D from the sun, and during fall and winter the sun is at its farthest point from us which equals less vitamin D available. Hence, cold and flu season! It's a good idea to get a baseline of where your vitamin D levels are at, to see how much you need to supplement. This can be done with a simple blood test called vitamin D, 25-hydroxy. You can order it through our office or through your doctor's office. If it's low, you'll supplement for a month and test again to make sure your dosage was enough for you. This is important as everyone builds up vitamin D levels at different rates. We have vitamin D available in liquid or tablet form.
4) Chinese Herbs: if you've got Gan Mao Ling in your medicine cabinet, you can take this preventatively if others around you are sick, or if you feel the slightest cold symptoms coming on to avert it altogether. This is an anti-viral and anti-bacterial formula. If I'm going to be exposed to re-circulated air for a period of time (i.e. theatre, grocery store, plane, office building, etc.) and feel a little tickle in my throat, I take Gan Mao Ling either before I go, or once I get home. You can get Gan Mao Ling or formulas appropriate for you in our office.
If you start to come down with something, call Rebecca (Rebecca is filling in for Lisa while she is on maternity leave) so you can shorten the duration or avert it altogether. Interesting tidbit - Chinese herbs were used effectively during the SARS outbreak to treat infected patients and keep healthcare workers healthy.
Lastly, keep the back of your neck covered up when it's windy, or when you are coming in and out of A/C! This is where the nasty pathogens enter your body."
Lisa is really great, compassionate and excellent at helping people rid what ails them. she has helped me numerous times when feeling ill with allergies, flu and sinus infection, and also, a badly injured knee....to the point that in the middle of my acupuncture session as i am relaxing with the needles in place i'm already feeling 70% better. the whole needles bit may sound freaky, but it's not, and my pain tolerance is about a -5. by the time i leave the office i typically feel 80-90% better then after a day or two of being on the herbs she prescribes and i am feeling myself again :O) oh, i've also seen her fill in, Rebecca, and she is very good as well!
Lisa Welden, L.Ac. 8701 Shoal Creek, Ste. 302 Austin, TX 78757
image by here comes the sun