Traditional Chinese Medicine Revitalizes the Immune System

By LI Zheng and David Israch

Summary: Traditional Chinese Medicine can help in revitalizing immune function. An acupuncturist uses needle therapy to stimulate acupoints to improve immune function. Studies have shown that TCM and especially Chinese herbs will help regulate the immune system, which will control the inflammation to the right level and also possibly prevent people from getting cancer.

A person with a healthy immune system will be able to resist infection and other health issues. However, poor nutrition, medications, anxiety, depression, high stress and insomnia can impair the immune system. In addition, there are pathogens that reduce immunity drastically. Viruses are notorious for causing a deficiency in immunity. Due to a lack of immune response, our bodies become susceptible to even more serious health problems. Even the common flu can be a cause of a weakened immune system or even an effect of that.

What is the cause of impaired immune response?

The immune system becomes weak for several reasons. Certain treatments can weaken the immune system. This happens when one goes through chemotherapy. An overactive immune system that reacts to harmless substances like allergens can also harm the immunity resulting in asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis. Along with this, there are auto-immune diseases like Type 1 Diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, psoriasis, eczema, and Lupus, in which the immune system attacks healthy cells. Hormone imbalance such as menopause and long term usage of birth control pill are attributed to autoimmune diseases.

Lack of proper nutrition can also lead to a weakened immune system; alcohol can also be harmful to the immune system; a deficiency of vitamins and minerals can weaken the immune system.

How can a weakened immune system affect you?

A sure sign of a weakened immune system is that you catch infections frequently. Digestion problems are not uncommon for people with a weakened immune system. Wounds take too much time to heal. If you have a weakened immune system, you may have frequent colds. People with weak immune system tend to develop cancer.

What is the remedy for an impaired immune system?

Enjoying a nutritious diet including health supplements with essential vitamins and minerals will help restore immunity. However, they may take time to respond. Traditional Chinese Medicine, including acupuncture and herbs, can provide a remedy that takes less time to improve the function of the immune system, especially during the Covid-19 epidemic. Chinese herbs and acupuncture have been used for over 5000 years in China to help different medical conditions such as inflammation, acid reflux, insomnia, ED, menopause and infertility before western medicine was introduced 250 years ago. Chinese herbs can help resolve the root cause of colitis, diabetes, IBS, Anxiety and depression by reducing the inflammation and improve the function of immune, endocrine and digestive systems.

How can TCM restore immune function?

A new review study published in Biomed Pharmacother 2020 by Dr. Wang et al. explains how Chinese herbs can help cancer patients through anti-tumor treatment. Chinese herbs can not only reduce the symptoms in tumor patients and improve their quality of life, but can also reduce side effects by anti-tumor drugs. Chinese herbs can enhance anti-tumor immunity by regulating the number and activity of macrophages, natural killer cells, B cells and T lymph cells in the tumor tissue. Combining herbs and medications, cancer patient can enjoy an improved quality of life.