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Fertility and Acupuncture
How acupuncture and Oriental
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This may be self-explanatory, but if you need deeper scientific proof, read my article about sleep basics here.
Wash your hands frequently!
Often! Try not to rub any part of your head or face after being in contact with someone who has had a cold until you can do so.
Be much more aggressive about the supportive measures we have discussed, especially sleep, diet, and bodywork if you can afford it.
Avoid wheat, sugar, caffeine and alcohol. These food groups are high in antigens, or minor allergic triggers which cause a drain on
the system. A diet with lean protein, simple meals with lots of vegetables will help your body more easily assimilate vital nutrients,
and help maintain the appropriate pH of the body.
Take a multi-vitamin and other supplements as recommended by a competent professional. I particularly like the combination of
glyconutrients such as Mannapol (Aloe-Immune or Goji are good too), Chinese herbs, and professional grade neutraceuticals to be very
effective for strengthening the immune system. The Standard American Diet (SAD) does not contain enough nutrients on a cellular
level to help build up the wei qi of the body without the use of supplements and herbs. Even if you are committed to the FDA
recommendation of 10 servings of freshly prepared, organic, and locally grown produce which is in season, many times the body needs
extra support.
First level infections are the body’s way of letting you know that it needs to marshal all defenses to fight an invader. Don’t take
conference calls, don’t do housework, don’t use this as the time to catch up on laundry, and for all you gym rats – don’t go work
out! Bed rest alone is very helpful in freeing up reserves of vital energy so that it can fight infection. The American tendency to suck-
it-up and work through the pain serves no one for a couple of reasons: 1) If you go to work, you may infect everyone around you, and
2) you ensure that the infection will become more serious and possibly last longer. Our tendency to save all our sick leave for a rainy
day would be better modified to include the notion that if you stay home on the first day that you feel under the weather, you may
not need any more time off than that.
Fast.
Your body does not need a lot of food at this stage – it needs liquid, but does not need lot of food.
Help the maintain body’s pH an appropriate addition of baking soda into your diet. The use of baking soda was originally brought up
in the Cayce literature and I have found it an invaluable addition to my practice. I usually recommend 1/4 tsp in a cup of warm water
on an empty stomach (wait 30 minutes before eating) at the first sign of the ‘tickle.’ This will allow a mildly basic solution to be
directly absorbed into the blood stream, an extremely effective clinically to help ward off an infection. I like to combine this with
medicinal herbs and glyconutrients to help give the body more resources to fight the infection.
See an acupuncturist.
As stated above, Traditional Chinese medicine has been able to treat colds and flu for over 2,000 years, but timing is everything.
Treatment is the most effective in the first 24 hours of the infection. We have the best chance of helping the body kick out the
infection at that time, before it moves internally. There are acupuncture points that help the body release the pathogen, and
adjunct modalities such as gua sha and cupping which are very helpful here. While acupuncture and oriental medicine cannot
guarantee that you will not get a more serious infection, I have treated dozens of patients with these methods, most of the time
with great results.
If you do become more seriously ill, or as we say in Chinese medicine, if the pathogen moves internally, you may need to see a doctor
and pursue more traditional therapies such as antibiotics. Realize that at this point, you are not receiving treatment for the primary
infection, but for the secondary lung or sinus infection that has developed as a result of the original virus, and recovery from this can
take anywhere from 3-6 weeks.
While I have patients who are passionately opposed to the use of antibiotics, as a medical provider, I see nothing noble about staying
sick for three or 4 weeks longer because it is “holistic.” Western medicine, including the appropriate use of medication, is a truly
miraculous addition to our society and we are blessed to have it. It should be used appropriately and I am the first one to refer out
for allopathic treatment, maybe more often than my patients would like.
If you are more seriously ill, the aforementioned rules of self-care still apply, particularly with regards to diet – avoid all sugar, wheat,
caffeine, dairy, and alcohol until you have recovered from any secondary infection.
I know - seems a little too simplistic. We all would like the magic bullet, because self-care takes time and effort away from other
things. It isn't glamorous and our efforts may not be recognized by anything greater than that we don't get the latest bug going
around the office.
The closest I get to magic are the acupuncture treatments given at just the right moment to release the infection. Nothing is more
satisfying than when a patient calls to let me know that they are back to normal the next day. Yes...
Believe it or not, as a medical provider, the thrill of nipping-it-in-the bud never changes. It is just as exciting for the hundredth
patient as it was for my first. Maybe it's why I keep going back for more...
Yours in health...
Contact me directly at jmoffitt@acunut.com.
medicine, but will interest his patients in
the care of the human body, in diet, and in
the cause and prevention of disease."
Thomas Edison
