I would like to talk about the recent flu epidemic here in South East Queensland. We’ve seen many patients in our Brisbane acupuncture clinic at various stages of suffering with regards to contraction of the flu virus.
We have had patients come to our acupuncture clinic with just the very initial stages – slightly runny nose, headaches, sore/scratchy/itchy throat, maybe a little bit hot in the chest and very tired and fatigued. We have also treated people who have been suffering bacterial infection as a result of the flu virus and have been sick, in some instances, for a couple of months, struggling to recover from that initial onset of the flu.
I’m really happy to say that we have been able to produce some excellent results when we are treating patients at various stages of illness as a result of contraction of the flu. Acupuncture, in my experience, is most effective at the very initial stage of the contraction of the virus, i.e. if someone is first coming down with a light runny nose and a tickly sore throat, just starting to get a little bit tired and headachy. If we can offer them an incredibly refined and gentle acupuncture treatment, this treatment potentises the immune system. In my experience, acupuncture is extremely effective in strengthening the immune system sufficiently to prevent the virus from penetrating right into the very depths of the body and therefore causing all the ramifications of this invasion – the incredible lethargy, being bed-ridden, the lack of appetite, the incredible mucous formation.
In my experience, this complication of the flu virus is beautifully controlled by the application of particular acupuncture at the right time. Now, if we miss that little window – where someone is coming to the acupuncture clinic in the very early stages – they are invariably rolling over into the deeper stages of the virus where they are suffering the hot and cold chills and fevers, and the deep aching bones and the muscles of the body and the strong and unrelenting headaches.
In this situation of the advanced stages of the flu, I have found the acupuncture extremely beneficial in ameliorating the symptoms – in other words, helping the patient to feel more energetic and reducing the severity of their headache. So we still have to go with the flow because the virus has penetrated deeply and we can ameliorate the symptoms and expedite a more positive result, and in my opinion, in a much faster time than when the flu runs its normal course.
The effect of the flu on individuals will vary much in accord with the state of their immune system, their age and a whole lot of other factors. But essentially, acupuncture is a very excellent way of strengthening and building up the immune system at whatever stage the flu is at.
We have been seeing three to four patients a day suffering from the flu – certainly in the last three weeks of August this was definitely the case. The results have been overwhelmingly positive. The beauty of this outcome which I deeply appreciate as a traditional acupuncture practitioner of 33 years, is that the techniques we use in treating people suffering from these acute viral conditions are incredibly light and delicate. There is almost no penetration of the needle and extremely light sensation as a result of the acupuncture treatment.
This is a very big difference between what we call the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) or very strong approach to acupuncture and the more refined Meridian Therapy approach that I practise where we are really aware when we are stimulating the immune system that the type of stimulation required is very light and very gentle.
I hope this discussion has given you some insight into the power and effectiveness of traditional acupuncture in treating the flu virus and the various problems that can arise with contraction of the flu. So if you have any symptoms of the flu virus, don’t hesitate to visit our Brisbane Acupuncture clinic or our clinic on the Gold Coast.
