By Emily Herman, M.Ac., L.Ac,
One of the many beneficial “side effects” of acupuncture, regardless of why you initially walked into your practitioner’s door, is that it can improve impaired immune function.
This is a great time of year to get into the groove of seeing your acupuncturist regularly to boost your immune system – and prevent colds from taking hold before they even get a chance! Because as you may know, it is better to prevent an illness than to have to treat it.
There are many studies pointing to the immune-boosting effect of acupuncture, however I would like to highlight one entitled “Effect of acupuncture treatment on the immune function impairment found in anxious women.” This study looked specifically at a population of 34 women ranging from 30-60 years old, all suffering from anxiety. The acu-points used were chosen for their effectiveness in relieving anxiety. Blood samples were drawn from the participants before treatment and 72 hours after treatment. From the abstract:
“The results showed that the most favorable effects of acupuncture on the immune functions appear 72 hours after the single session and persist one month after the end of the complete treatment. Impaired immune functions in anxious women (chemotaxis, phagocytosis, lymphoproliferation and NK activity) were significantly improved by acupuncture, and augmented immune parameters (superoxide anion levels and lymphoproliferation of the patient subgroup whose values had been too high) were significantly diminished.”
Arranz L, Guayerbas N, Siboni L, De la Fuente M. (2007) Effect of Acupuncture Treatment on the Immune Function Impairment Found in Anxious Women. Retrieved from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17265549
Not only does getting regular acupuncture help improve mood, promote immediate and lasting relaxation, and better sleep, just to name a few benefits; it can help you stave off those nasty colds!
Call or book your appointment online today!
Licensed Acupuncturist
Emily sees patients in our Timonium location on:
Wednesdays… 4pm – 8pm
Saturdays …. 2:30pm – 6pm
Emily is in network with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna and Aetna plans.
Read more about Emily at https://cloud9acuclinic.com/emily-herman-acupuncturist/
