"There is a bug going around..."

By Angie
With the change of weather, you might have heard people talking about 'cold and flu' season being just around the corner, and start to see various products crowding out chemist and supermarket shelves. There is a sense of hype about this time of year, where we are advised to not go within sneezing distance of anybody, not to shake anyone’s hand, and never, ever touch a doorknob, shopping cart, or any other object that might have possibly come into contact with any human at any point during its existence! If you buy into the hype you may find yourself locked away in a dark room waiting for the hazmat team to give the “All Clear.” :-)

There is a lucrative industry that would like you to leave the fate of your health and well-being up to the questionable workings of pills and shots rather than the innate power that runs your body and the living world around you. However, the reality is that according to Chinese medicine, germs don’t make you sick. Rather, it is your body’s inability to fend off germs and foreign invaders that is what results in you succumbing to illness.

Think about how a small group of people who live together, or work together in a close environment, responds during 'flu season'. If everyone is exposed to the same germs and viruses and if the sickness were attributed completely to the virus, everyone would get sick and exhibit the same reaction and symptoms. What happens in reality is that one or two people get ill while the others don’t. Clearly the issue is not the germs, but the body’s response to them.

Chances are the last time you got sick you were running yourself ragged; missing sleep, eating improperly, being all stressed out from work, skipping your acupuncture sessions, and neglecting your exercise. This is a vicious pattern that many of us fall into and it’s one that weakens the body and allows germs to take hold.

Your best defence against the flu, colds, or any other germ-borne illness is not to drug yourself, but to bolster your internal defences. You stand your best chance of being at your healthiest when you have an optimally functioning nervous system and immune response. So come in for an acupuncture tune-up, keep your lifestyle habits in good order, and maintain a positive attitude. Do so, and those pesky little germs don’t stand a chance!