Ask the Acupuncturist
By Katherine Rowe, LAc, FABORM
Question: What do you do to stay healthy in the winter? Answer: Here are my tried and true winter remedies that I employ regularly to help me stay up and running through the cold and flu season.
First of all I try to get plenty of sleep and eat my fruits and vegetables. I think that is a no-brainer but these basics are immune system killers if you don’t abide.
Next I take my multi-vitamin, extra Vitamin D and probiotic every day and usually have an Emergen-C drink daily if I’m feeling run-down or a few times a week otherwise.
Chinese Herbs- If I’m actually sick I prefer to make myself a tea from the individual herb granules we have in our pharmacy at TAC. That way I can customize the formula to my symptoms and it is much stronger and faster acting than taking pills. Your practitioner can do the same for you if you just want to call in and have an “herbal consult” via the phone to describe yours symptoms or come in so you can also get acupuncture. We also have lots of different formulas in pill form that are convenient and address any type of cold from stuffy nose to bronchitis. Flu-Ban is also a great product that we carry at TAC, I keep a bottle in my purse so that I can start taking it at the first sign of a cold. Flu-ban usually minimizes my cold symptoms if it doesn’t prevent them altogether.
Acupuncture! Acupuncture is great at boosting your immune system and helping your body release the cold before it starts to settle into an infection. We also can treat cold symptoms such as sinus congestion with local points on the face to really open up clogged sinuses so they can drain. Many patients cancel appointments when they’re sick but acupuncture can be a big help to getting you better faster.
Number 5 might qualify as my secret weapon, so for those of you still reading this article- here is your reward. I am a fan of the netti-pot and use it religiously at the first sign of a runny nose. My life was changed 2 years ago by a nurse who recommended I put a drop of Grapefruit Seed Extract into the netti-pot water in order to literally clean the nasal and sinus surfaces. It works like magic! Now you can literally clean the inside of your nose and throat while doing a netti-pot and prevent the cold from getting into your system at all. It will also put a complete halt to a chronic sinus infection as it literally gets in there and kills off the lingering fungus or bacteria. Grapefruit Seed Extract is a very strong anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal agent and much like lemon oil or other citrus extracts it can be used to clean anything! Midwives use it on women’s nipples and inside infant’s mouths to clear up yeast while breastfeeding. You can use it in outer ear infections, as a hair/scalp wash for lice, and even to clean your bathroom all without toxic chemicals or strong medications! I put Grapefruit Seed extract in my humidifier water so that when I run it at night the air is a misty clean. The only warning is that it is very strong so be conservative, one drop for a netti-pot is plenty and too much will irritate your mucus membranes. Always dilute it and otherwise it is considered safe. This is the kind I use, Maximum GSE by Nutribiotic. I hope many of you learn the benefits of Grapefruit Seed Extract this winter!