Weather Changes and Your Health

As our weather changes from week to week, oftentimes we find our health changing for the worse. Whether it’s aches and pains or a tendency to catch a cold and flu easily, we can and do feel this unfortunate change take place. The western explanation typically includes a weak immune system resulting in catching a cold or other viral infection or perhaps symptoms that indicate arthritis related joint pain. The Chinese Medical approach offers a different explanation and treatment. A weak immune system that leaves us all open to what virus befalls us at home or work is viewed as a Defensive Qi defeciency. One of the ways that our body energy or “Qi” contributes to our health is protecting us from illness and if it is weak than we are left wide open to catching a cold or what we call a Wind Invasion. The wind penetrates our body and we feel symptoms that can begin as a stiff neck, sore throat or runny nose. These symptoms , if recognized early, can be treated with 1 or 2 acupuncture treatments, the appropriate herbal formula and in most cases you feel better in a day instead of suffering for a week or more. If ,on the other hand, you find your joint pain worsening with damp or cold weather changes, we say the wind damp or wind cold invasion is obstructing the proper flow of Qi and blood. As our Qi and/or blood flow is obstructed, pain is the result. We also know that since arthritis is usually due to wear and tear that comes with age and use, we then conclude the body’s qi weak as a result. We treat both the pain and defeciency, by restoring proper qi and blood flow, and tonifying the qi to help prevent future reoccurances of this condition. This type of scenario usually takes a few teatments to get the pain under control and occasional follow up treatments to insure the overall condition is improved so that you enjoy a better quality of life. We hope this information helps shed some light on why the weather can have an undisirable affect our health. Yours in Health TigerLily Acupuncture