Don't let the Flu get you down!

    This years flu season has been one of the most widespread, and according to the CDC during the third week of January, more people sought care for the flu and flulike illnesses than any other period compared for nearly a decade. Since the start of the season on October 1st nearly 12,000 people have been hospitalized with confirmed influenza. The strain this year according to the CDC is on of the nastiest strains, H3N2, which causes four types of the flu, two influenza A and two influenza B viruses. This particular strain has been around for about 50 years, and is able to change rapidly.
    Symptoms of the flu include: fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, as well as vomiting and diarrhea. Each person will experience a different range of these symptoms and does not usually include all symptoms.
    The flu is very unpredictable in how long it will last, but it is know that the flu activity peeks from December to February, so we are right in the heart of the worst of it! If all this information scares you, remember there is something you can do, so even if you get the flu, you will recover quicker and have less sever symptoms! 
    So how do you avoid the flu?

1. Wash your hands: I know we all know this one, but often we don’t think about how many surfaces we touch in a day, and what those surfaces could be covered in. Soap and water is always the best way to wash your hands, but hand sanitizer is helpful if a sink is not accessible
2. Isolate tooth brushes: if someone is sick in your household separate their brush from yours, and when they are well, make sure they toss their old brush or replace the head
3. Wash your towels and sheets: if someone is sick in your house and they sleep in your bed make sure you are washing your sheets, especially pillows and towels you may share (had towels) every few days and once they are well throw them all in the wash
4. Clean filters and humidifiers: At least once a week when someone is sick a deep clean should be done on the air filters and humidifiers in your house, you don’t want the germs to be caught in the system and then released back into the air
5. Disinfect items commonly touched: remotes, door nobs, light switches and sink handles should be wiped down at the end of each day to get those germs off 
6. And most important ACUPUNCTURE and HERBS

The Flu and TCM
     From a Chinese Medical perspective the flu is caused by external pathogens similar to Western Medicine) but the difference is the flu is looked at in combination with the individuals constitution. In order for someone to get the flu or be penetrated by an external pathogen there must be a deficiency or weakness to let it in. Overwork, not sleeping, or eating poorly can all lead to weaknesses allowing the pathogen to enter.
    A persons constitution paired with the strength or nature of the pathogen also will determine how severe, what symptoms, and how the flu will present in each person. This helps to explain why two people in the same household can be sick with the exact same flu, but the symptoms and severity will differ. 
    All of this leads to explain why acupuncture is so important not just for the treatment of the flu, but also for the prevention!

    As you can see above peoples constitutions vary and so their treatments for prevention and treatment of the flu varies as well. There is not one single herb or point prescription that can be used to treat the flu and boost someones immune system. First we have to look at you and your constitution to find where there are weaknesses and imbalances, and then focus on those to strengthen your immune system and get it to work optimally.

Acupuncture Can:
    1. Prevent cold and flus
    2. Treat early stages of cold or flus and shorten the severity and recovery time
    3. Eliminate the need for more serious interventions such as hospitalization
    4. Strengthen the body after a cold or flu to prevent roccurence

    One of my favorite things when treating colds and flus is when people come in and tell me “I am getting sick, and I can already tell it’s going to be bad,” and instead of it taking them a week or two to get over it, they are well in a day or two! Acupuncture is incredible that way! But, the best time to treat the flu is before you get it! 
    That is why I am making February, FIGHT THE FLU FEBRUARY: and I am offering four treatments paid up front and booked for the month of February for $200, that is an $80 savings! You get one whole treatment completely free plus and extra $10 off just for good measure! Acupuncture works better in conjunction with itself, meaning the effects get stronger when it is used back to back. You can schedule your appointments in a variety of ways which we will decide together based on your needs. For example if you are currently sick I may schedule two in a week so we can really fight it off, or if we are working on immune boost and prevention we may just do one a week for the full month.
    Your health is important to me and you deserve to have a Flu Free February! Schedule your first appointment and then we will book the next three of the package at the end of that session when I have evaluated the best treatment plan for you!
    Also, just as a side note, we can work on other things besides immunity and flu relief during these treatments, but that will be one of the main things we focus on during each treatment!


If you have any questions about the flu of Fight the Flu February Package please feel free to contact me at [email protected]