I had a patient email me last night asking my thoughts on the Swine Flu Vaccination. I thought to myself "wow, she is getting in early" but it seems that actually its everywhere again. On the news, on the internet - and again, like last year I am quite certain the the media will have a field day warning us all of the risks and statistics.
The fact still remains, we all get sick. We get sick when our body systems are weakened or impaired as a result of being overworked, stressed, tired and living a toxic lifestyle. Some of us are constitutionally stronger than others, some of us born with weak lungs or weak guts or even structural weakness. I see a great variety of patients in the clinic with differing levels of health. Even though every single patient I see is unique, one things remains constant - we all need to be able to pay attention to what our body is telling us through signs and symptoms, and act on these. So given that the flu season is just around the corner, we need not freak out! What we do need to do is prepare and nurture our bodies now, in Autumn so that they have the strength to ease through the Winter months.
Winter is a very inward time, it a time where many animals hibernate and where growth is slow. Our bodies are also a reflection of this, and so in winter, it is a good time for us to nurture ourselves. Im not surprised at how sick people can get in winter time. We can only expect to get out of our bodies what we put in.
In the clinic we use several strengthening formula's to assist in building up immunity leading into winter. The beauty of these is that they can be individually tailored to the patient. So using the information that the patients body presents with allows us to strengthen specific area's of the body to prevent severe illness. Combined this with a good clean diet, plenty of good quality water, exercise, Qi Gong/Meditation and spinal care, I believe you are setting yourself up for a delightful winter! Going into winter with wellness is the key!
ALL flu's can be avoided. Unfortunately vaccinations do weaken our systems - they lower immunity at the time of immunisation, which may make us more susceptible to contracting colds and flu's. Each individual patients circumstances are different, and in some instances people are told that vaccinations are necessary. For the healthy individual, influenza vaccination are not. Generally flu's do not kill healthy people. The swine flu is no exception, in fact it is a weak virus with relatively mild symptoms. More deaths have been reported as a result of the vaccination than the flu itself.
If anything, flu's strengthen our immune systems if we allow our bodies to fight them off. If you are unfortunate enough to contract a flu this winter, suppressing the symptoms with the use of drugs will only further lengthen the recovery! Again, the key here is rest! In the clinic we use Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Herbal formula's to treat colds and flu's that primarily move the pathogen through the body, rather than treating the symptoms. This means that the symptoms may be quite strong but they are short lived. Recovery is quick and the illness does not linger on because the body has support through the peak of the illness. When drugs are used to treat the symptoms of colds and flu's, it takes longer for the body to heal; for the symptoms are the bodies natural and necessary response as it attempts to recover. We suppress these, we draw out the recovery!
So make a conscious effort now to prepare for the colder months ahead, it might mean a few changes to your diet, switching from vigorous exercise to more gentle movements, getting the rest your require or calling us for a chat to see where we can help you prepare. I can assure you small changes will mean you will not only cruise through winter but you will also welcome its beauty because you will have no reason not to!
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