Can acupuncture help respiratory problems?

Do you feel you may have over-indulged over the past few months? Do you feel sluggish? Fatigued? Bloated? Feel over run with colds, coughs, post virus symptoms, or just feel that your body needs a boost. Maybe you just feel that you want to start looking after your own health and wellness by being re-balanced again? From both an Orthodox and Traditional Chinese medicine perspective the Liver is a major organ and has so many functions in the body and thus need to ensure its well looked after. In Chinese medicine the Liver controls the smooth flow of blood and Qi (energy) through the body. Without this, the flow of blood can become stagnant, blocked and hindered and therefore, the flow of Qi is also reduced to that area. Evidently, the body then begins to have signs and symptoms that the body is in distress and this is when we normally seek help from our GP or alternative therapist. Acupuncture is an ancient form of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that has been used in Asia for millennia. Acupuncture Therapists use acupuncture to restore the balance and thus alleviate such symptoms, and thus promote physical and emotional well-being again. So why wait until you get these symptoms, be proactive and help your body before such symptoms arise? Restoration and re-balance is established by stimulating the nervous system by inserting acupuncture needles in specific acu-points in the body. This then stimulates the nervous system to correct any imbalances in the flow of energy within the body that may be causing a stagnation or an obstruction of blood flow within the muscles and tissues and thus resulting in the symptoms of physical and psychological illness.

There are many people who come into my Acupuncture clinic reporting difficulties with breathlessness, wheeziness, with clearing their nasal passages, blocked ears, sinus congestion as well as frontal and temporal head pain and puffy eyes. For Some patients this is a result of various acute responses to Allergies, Hayfever and Sinusitis or due to lingering Cold and Flu like symptoms. However, for other patients it’s due to chronic respiratory issues such as Chronic Sinus Pains, Asthma, Bronchitis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Emphysema. Such conditions can result in frequent trips to the local doctors surgery and the need for bronchodilators, nebulised, oxygen and inhaled therapies. Patients may also be under an array of specialists and need to have steroidal therapy. Inevitably, when the respiratory problems are very severe this can even result in hospitalisation. All of which can be very debilitating and can bring a lot of stress, anxiety, physical fatigue and a lot of fear.