Dublin based
Acupuncture & Shiatsu
Specialist

Immune System

Immune System

June 26th, 2012 | Posted in 3 Various Specific Problems

 

Acupuncture regulates the whole immune system.   The original purpose of acupuncture was to prevent disease or illness from occuring at all.  It  keeps the body in an optimum state of health and well-balanced emotionally, mentally and spiritually, as well as physically.

Other Ways of Helping the Immune System.

‘I’m too busy to be sick’   – keeps the Immune System thriving

The immune system consists of the spleen, bone marrow, lymph nodes and various kinds of white blood cells, some of which circulate throughout the body whilst others reside in body tissue, including the skin.  Its function is to protect us from invasion by infection: not just colds and flu etc, but also premature aging degenerative ailments such as arthritis and also depression and stress-related illnesses such as heart disease.

The immune systems cells work by ‘swimming’ throughout the body to wherever they are required.  Scientists have discovered that immune cells make, store and secrete the neuropeptides that were previously thought to be manufactured and remain only in the brain.  Our immune system can cause our mood or emotions to change in a sort of two-way communication with the brain.  The spleen is the ‘brain’ of the immune system and also controls our appetite.

When our mood sinks, the production of certain important neurotransmitters and neuropeptides goes haywire.  Our immune system, then, thinks like the brain and functions like a sub-brain that is capable of changing our moods and emotional responses.  If we submit to emptiness, helplessness and fear, the chain of precisely timed immune system responses goes wrong too.  The choice lies with us.  Our immune system, it has been proven, waits to hear our ultimate decisions.  If we were to send out only positive messages to our immune system, we would probably never become ill.  Conversely, if we think unwell for long enough, we will eventually become unwell.

Every good thing that happens should be reinforced by sending a strong message to the immune system. With every movement of exercise, every good nutritional piece of food, every supplement, say: “This is an extra step on the road to feeling better. Tomorrow morning I am going to feel even better than I do this evening. Do not have any doubts when sending this message. Have total belief and optimism. There is a double effect on the immune system from both the good action and the reinforcing message. The message goes to the brain, not the mind and the brain is the biological motor and biochemical gearbox that keep the body running healthily and normally. Keep pushing and your immune system will respond.

When you eat a hearty but healthy meal let your mind settle on the feeling that you are rewarding your body and benefiting your immune system.  These messages pay huge dividends.

Water is vital and keeps the body hydrated, purging the digestive system and keeping the immune tracts purified.  Taken early in the day it can make you feel energetic and invigorated and avoids trips to the loo late at night.

One of the best ways of supporting the immune system and ensuring that it thrives is to keep the body fit and well exercised. Most of us want to look good to other people—it’s crucial for our confidence and self-esteem.  When someone tells me I look great, it sends a rush of the feel-good hormones, dopamine and epinephrine, into my bloodstream, which in turn makes me smile and feel good about myself.  The compliment is a tonic for my immune, endocrine and nervous systems.