There are many areas where Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine come together. These meeting points fascinate me. The lung and its functions are one of the closest meeting points. From skin and the immune system to basic respiration all are heavily influenced by the lung in both modalities.
From a mere surface area standpoint the lungs have the most access to the outside world. Did you know that if stretched and flattened out, the surface area of the lungs is equivalent to a tennis court! MIND BLOWN!! This means that the lungs have a primary role in separating harmful particles, bacteria and viruses from entering out bodies. In Chinese Medicine we call this our “Wei Qi”. In Western medical terms this is our immune system. When Wei Qi is weak then a person is often sick. If you are the type to catch frequent colds and flus or always feel fun down the Wei Qi is not performing its function. But guess what? Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine do a fantastic job at rebuilding and maintaining our Wei Qi.
Do you find that you are often tired or feel out of breath? If so, your lungs could stand a good tune up with acupuncture and herbs. A soft and timid voice, breathing that is shallow and even poor posture are often attributed to weak lung Qi. Further down the line, pneumonia, emphysema and bronchitis are signs that your lung Qi is don’t doing its natural job of maintaining your health.
Frequent allergies are an additional symptom of weak Wei QI. Pollen and other allergens often enter the body through the lungs. The skin as ell is controlled by the lung and eczema, rashes and dry skin are often due to an imbalance in the lungs.
From an emotional perspective the lungs are affected through grief and sadness as I described in my last blog post. Continual sadness make the energy of the lungs weak and if its already weak to begin with it can be a very difficult cycle to break out of without proper acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.
There are great Chinese Herbal Medicine formulas that can be taken to boost lung Qi over the winter or during allergy season. Hit me up to find out more at my San Diego acupuncture clinic. I serve North Park, Bankers Hill, Mission Hills, Little Italy, Downtown San Diego, South Park, Hillcrest, University Heights Normal Heights, City Heights, Mission Valley and all of San Diego County with the Best Acupuncture in San Diego.