How to Enhance Our Immune System

The immune system protects the body against foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses, and toxic compounds. A poor immune system can lead to prolonged illness and concurrently an overactive immune system can lead to discomfort as well.

The immune system can be boosted through a balanced diet, quality sleep, and regular exercise. This can only occur if the body is not plagued by stress, emotional disturbance,environmental toxins, illnesses, poor diet and sleep. Traditional Chinese Medicine（TCM) looks at the human body as a whole; looking at one’s qi energy and blood circulation, yin and yang, cold and heat types of constitution, deficient or excessive, exterior and interior condition. It aims to regulate the whole body’s imbalanced qi energy to ensure that the immune system is functioning in its best state.

Acupuncture assists blood circulation by sending chemical signals (e.g. hormones or neurotransmitters) to tell your brain to regulate its imbalanced immune system. Certain Acupuncture points can effectively enhance your immune system e.g ST36, Ren 4. Even massaging these two points can help enhance your immunity.

Chinese Herbs can also greatly improve and balance one’s immune system.
According to the pattern differentiation, practitioners will customise the herbs that suit your individual symptoms, making the treatment more effective. Below are examples of herbs that may be prescribed and their properties:

Astragalus root : Increases the number of active immune cells and their activity, helping fortify existing immune system function
Asian Ginseng : Increases the effectiveness of all cells in both the innate and adaptive immune systems. It also works to boost endurance, strength, mental capacity, alertness, and reduce inflammation.
Ginger : Ginger contains gingerol in its root, which is a powerful antioxidant found to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties assisting in eradicating the body of toxins and as a result promoting a healthy functioning immune system.
Garlic : Consuming garlic has been reported to boost the number of T cells in your bloodstream by the Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2012 by the University of Florida. Additionally, further research has found that garlic can fight off stress and fatigue, which can inhibit one’s immune system to perform at its optimum. Thus, it serves as an effective ingredient in boosting one’s immune system.
Goji Berries : As it is rich in vitamins A and C, these berries can increase the levels of immune cells, improve the immune response, and prevent disease. Being full of antioxidants that fight inflammation, it is a key ingredient in strengthening one’s immune system.

Improving the immune system is essential to enable us to live our lives to the fullest without being held back by disease, inflammation, or infection of any kind. Thus, it should be a top priority for TCM practitioners to look to improve this foundational body function as it can directly impact many areas of one’s life. At Aster Chinese Medicine, we specialise in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines to help build the immune system. For more information, get in touch with our team today on 0458 186 888.