Acupuncture and herbs can be a quick and effective means by which to kick colds and flu when usual remedies prove ineffective. Cold and flu is a common occurrence. It is usually no big deal, but the longer it lingers the more serious it becomes. This is because it weakens the body and the lung becomes increasingly unable to perform its role in fluid metabolism. Below is a case of how acupuncture and herbs helped a coughing contractor.
I work from home and we’re presently having some work done on the house. As you well know, we’re in the cold and flu season. Around the beginning of September the crew leader came down with something. He first complained about his eye for which he was given drops of some sort. The following week he performed no work, as he stayed home convalescing. The following week he showed up, sweating and coughing constantly.
He stated that earlier during the illness, possibly that day (there’s a bit of a language difference), he got a shot, which proved totally useless. Open to an acupuncture session which included cupping, he remarked afterward of improved sleep, relaxed back, and diminished sweating. During the acupuncture session his cough abated, but the next day he was still coughing, despite taking the andrographis pills given to shore up the treatment. I then threw together a bitter formula of which two 12oz cups were consumed. That was a Tuesday.
On Wednesday, it was clear that the formula had not worked as he was still coughing and some sweat was still evident. It was a dryish cough as there was no phlegm to speak of. Cough of this sort is an indication of a lingering infection, the cough being an attempt by the lungs to expel the bug. His pulses were strong, so the initial bitter formula assumed that a direct attack upon the pathogen would be sufficient to resolve matters. The second formula made use of the previous day’s herbs, but was augmented with three herbs, all possessing sweeter properties that boost the body’s immune strength.
Within an hour of consuming the first eight oz cup of the augmented formula the cough abated more than 65%. He took another 12oz cup before departing, and on Thursday the cough was more than 85% improved, sweating had ceased, and by Friday the cough had stopped completely without anymore herbs.
Wrap-up
Acupuncture and herbs can be extremely beneficial in treating lingering colds and flu. The case of the coughing contractor illustrates this. One point of note is that administration of herbs requires careful monitoring. Effective herbal prescriptions should elicit a quick response. When they do not, the formula should be either augmented or altogether changed. Another noteworthy point is the difference between acupuncture and herbs for respiratory infection. Acupuncture is directed toward strengthening the body’s immunity. Herbal prescriptions can be directed toward killing the germs that give rise to infection, toward strengthening the immune system, or some combination of the two. Determination of which course to take is made based upon the patient’s symtomatic presentation.