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ADVERTISING: Advertorial — HOLLY CARLING: Immune power

| March 18, 2020 1:00 AM

We have the power to influence our immune system in its innate ability to protect us from the biological/environmental stresses that can bombard us from many directions. There are actions that we can take — good and bad — that can help determine our ability to fight viruses and other invading pathogens.

As we are currently in a worldwide viral crisis, we are being educated on some of the things we can do to minimize potential exposures, both for ourselves and others: wash frequently, don’t touch your face, avoid gatherings with lots of people, put distance between you and others who are sick, cover your mouth and nose if coughing or sneezing, stay home if you are sick, wear a mask if you are sick and need to be in public, etc.

While these basics are great recommendations, what we can do goes deeper. Controlling what goes in our mouth can go far in keeping us healthy. We can be eating better, healthier and nutrient-dense foods, especially when risk of illness is present. This means more veggies, quality proteins and complex carbohydrates like beans and legumes. Avoid eating foods that can weaken your immune system such as sugar. Since sugar can interfere with immune response for as long as three days, avoiding it altogether is an easy way to keep healthy.

Acupuncture is something else you can do to stay healthy. Many research results have identified acupuncture as being effective in regulating and strengthening the immune system. Used for thousands of years, acupuncture has been used before the onset of disease to prevent it. Considered “preconditioning,” it was found that using acupuncture points (now proven to regulate the immune system) could be used to strengthen the body’s resolve to handle foreign invaders.

Acupuncture is also used after you are ill. In “Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine”, published in 2015 and titled Acupuncture and Immunity, it was reported that by placing needles in specific acu-points, acupuncture was able to strengthen the human body to resist diseases by increasing red and white blood cells and T-cells and enhancing humoral and cellular immunity, acupuncture enhanced anti-cancer and anti-stress immune function and exerted anti-inflammatory effects. Acupuncture also exerted protective effects on the intestinal mucosal immune barrier by increasing the concentration of helper T-cells and other actions.

Once the immune system is compromised, acupuncture’s regulatory effect stimulates the immune system in weak immunity, or down-regulates it in instances of hyper reactivity.

In “Mediators, Receptors, and Signaling Pathways in the Anti-Inflammatory and Antihyperalgesic Effects of Acupuncture,” by J.L. McDonald et al., they demonstrated the mediators and signaling of anti-inflammatory pathways activated by acupuncture. As inflammation is inexplicably related to immune function, mediating inflammation is crucial in supporting healthy immune response.

You have the power to strengthen your immune system. Add acupuncture to your plan of action.

Note: In light of current events, we are happy to help you strengthen your immune system preventively. However, for the protection of our patients and staff, we are asking those who are experiencing cold/flu-like symptoms to stay home and not enter our office. For those that are ill, please call to schedule a phone consultation or to ship supplements.

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Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with over four decades of experience. Carling is a “Health Detective.”

She looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place. Carling is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d’Alene clinic.

Visit Carling’s website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Carling, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at 208-765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.