Acupuncture for Inflammation is showing positive results in research. Inflammation refers to your body’s process of fighting against things that harm it, like infections, injuries, and toxins, in an attempt to heal itself. When something damages the cells, your body releases chemicals that trigger a response from your immune system.
Chronic inflammation can cause autoimmune disorders, such as Lupus or Chron’s, where your body attacks healthy tissue. Exposure to toxins, like pollution or industrial chemicals. Untreated acute inflammation, such as from an infection or injury.
Other factors that contribute significantly to inflammation is poor diet and stress.
What about stress?
- Working too much, over doing it
- Poor diet
- Lack of exercise
- Environmental factors
- Emotional distress
- Not taking care of yourself
- Injury, trauma – sometimes inflammation is a good thing when there’s been trauma to the body. However its important to quickly reduce the inflammation so the body can heal and get well
Try to avoid these “foods” when grocery shopping:
- Refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and pastries
- Hot chips and other fried foods (often fried in canola oil which is GMO)
- Margarine
- Soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages (including some alcoholic drinks)
- Red meat and processed meat (hot dogs, sausages)
- Corn syrup
- Packaged foods with ingredient and numbers on the ingredients list you don’t understand
- Drive-through foods
Other foods that may contribute to inflammation in the body for some people may include:
- Gluten (proteins trigger the immune system to jump into action, causing inflammation). This inflammation can affect the body’s organs and soft tissue. However sometimes, its the pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals used in the processing of certain grains which can cause gluten sensitivity.
- Dairy
- Soy
- Corn
- White sugar
An anti-inflammatory diet is rich in good oils, fats, omega’s and antioxidants…
- Olive oil, flaxseed oil
- Green leafy vegetables (such as spinach, kale, and collards)
- Nuts
- Tumeric, ginger
- Fatty fish (like salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines)
- Fruits (such as avocado, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, goji berries, pineapple, papaya)
- Raw unprocessed honey
- Coconut
- Tomato
- Bone broth
- Ghee
- A rainbow of fruits and vegetables
Try to eat as organic and local as possible. In season fruits and vegetables are also important. Certified organic can be expensive so if you cant source it, make sure you thoroughly wash your food. Or better yet start a little vegie garden and grow what you can at home.
How can Chinese medicines and Acupuncture for Inflammation help?
Acupuncture stimulates your body to help your own body to make its own medicine, like giving your internal healing response a 10-20% boost. The pins spark your resources; what nature gave you and continues to give you.
Acupuncture and the other branches of Chinese medicine (nutrition, herbs, massage, heat therapy and exercise) restore homeostasis and keep the body functioning at an optimal level. When the body is functioning at an optimal level, we’re far less likely to get sick, and far more likely to recover quickly when we do get sick, inflammatory conditions included. Read more here about Traditional Chinese Medicine as a health modality here:
Autoimmune conditions are a chronic condition so healing is a longer process, the same way it took a long time for the autoimmune markers to show up in the first place. Never the less, we can balance your immune system with acupuncture and herbal medicine, dramatically help with nutrition specific for you as an individual and guide you to manage lifestyle factors to reduce autoimmune markers or better manage the symptoms.
If you think you may have inflammation happening in your body or have been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, please contact us today to discuss how we can help you at our Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine clinic on the Sunshine Coast. Healing is possible. Being pain free, managing pain, feeling energetic, relaxing the stress response in the body and feeling an overall wellness is possible.
Hi, I’m Tanya Keam, an AHPRA registered Acupuncturist and health practitioner in Nambour in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, Queensland Australia. I practice Chinese medicine because its safe, logical, relevant and has effectively shown methods of natural wellness for thousands of years (read more about my training here). Life doesn’t need to be complicated and nor does the treatment approaches to get people feeling vibrant and well. I’ve seen people gain a lot from treatments, much more than just alleviating symptoms. It’s exciting to connect with people and share deep wisdom from the classics of ancient and traditional medicine, with modern protocols for todays mind-body living. See you in the clinic !
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