The three pillars of immune health

Balancing your Immune System with Chinese Medicine

By: Blaise T. Ryan, R.TCMP, R.Ac
Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner and Acupuncturist
If you want to improve your immunity to protect yourself from getting sick, here are some tips from Chinese medicine to boost your immune system.
First, you have to understand that according to classical Chinese medicine, your body’s immune system is determined by the health of three main organ systems in the body: the Lungs, the Spleen and the Kidneys.  We could say that these three represent the three burners of your immune system: upper (lungs), middle (spleen) and lower (kidneys).
The Lungs are the upper and most superficial system, as they have direct exposure to pathogenic elements in our environment through breathing the air around us.   This often leads to direct exposure to bacterias, viruses, allergens and toxins in the air. The nose, sinuses and skin are all connected to the lung system as well in Chinese medicine.  This is why it’s common to have sinus and skin symptoms when the body has acute exposure to environmental pathogenic influences.

The ancient battle of two forces – Xie Qi vs. Zheng Qi

The Lungs are our first line of defence against what is called Xie Qi according to the Chinese medicine theory.  Xie Qi translates to “harmful qi,” often referred to as “evil qi”.
Qi is translated as “energy” or “air” or “influence”.
This Xie Qi is a general term used to describe any pathogenic influence that can enter the body and do harm to the health of the living organism.  The stronger the Xie Qi is, the harder it is for the body to defend against it. But luckily our bodies have a hero of their own to protect us against the evil forces that intend to do our health harm.

Our body’s hero is named Zheng Qi

Zheng Qi is often translated as constitutional integrity, which for all intents and practical purposes, we can translate to our entire immune health.  Why these two translations would be synonymous will become clearer as you keep reading.
According to the fundamentals of Chinese medicine, if your Zheng Qi is strong, the Xie Qi cannot invade your body, and you won’t get sick.  Consequently, if your Zheng Qi is weak, then it opens the door for Xie Qi to come inside and do damage to your health.
This explains why some people were unaffected by the great plague of the Middle Ages, or why some people don’t get sick during an epidemic outbreak – because their immune strength was greater than the pathological influence.
This also explains why some people get sick often and easily – because their immune strength is weak and it’s easily overcome by pathological influence.
This understanding is one of the fundamental principles of Chinese medicine because it underlies the assumption that disease and illness can only harm us under two circumstances:  1) when there is an excessively strong Xie Qi (pathological influence) or 2) when your Zheng Qi (immune health) is compromised.
This also paves the way for a clear and effective therapeutic approach to improving immunity and warding off illness and disease, using the simple approach of strengthening Zheng Qi and minimizing exposure to Xie Qi.

The three pillars of immunity

Our Zheng Qi is determined largely by the health of these three spectacular organ systems: the Lungs, Spleen and Kidneys.
As mentioned above, the Lungs are your first line of immune defence.
If your Lungs are strong and healthy, then the mucus membranes in your nose, sinuses and lungs will be functioning properly and will easily defeat any bacteria, allergen or virus that enters it.
Conversely, if the Lungs are weak, the mucus membranes can easily get inflamed and malfunction when invaded by Xie Qi, leading to the creation of excessive phlegm.
The next line of defence is the Spleen, which in Chinese medicine plays the most important role in the digestive system of extracting nutrients from the food and using them to create the Qi and blood for the entire body.
The Spleen and the Lungs have the unique and similar functions of directly drawing Qi from our environment and transforming it into usable Qi for our blood system and body.
The Lungs absorb Qi from the air in the form of oxygen and vital elements and pass it directly into our bloodstream.
The Spleen absorbs the Qi from food and water in the form of vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and molecules and passes it directly into our bloodstream.
It’s understood from Chinese medicine that the Qi absorbed by the Spleen through food is mixed with the Qi that is absorbed by the Lungs from the air, which is then mixed with the Qi from the Kidneys to make the body’s Zheng Qi.
Understanding this gives us a clear roadmap of our health on how to improve our immune health and keep it balanced.
That roadmap is making our Lungs, Spleens and Kidneys as happy as possible.  So let’s look at how to do that. Over the last five millenia, Chinese medicine has clearly mapped out what harms and strengthens these systems.   Let’s take a look at each of their profiles to understand their needs.

The Lungs

Season:  Fall
Element:  Metal
Partner organ: Large intestine
Governs:  Skin, nose, sinuses
Function:  Breathing, oxygen supply, circulation, immune defence
Emotional force:  Bonding, communication, trust
Likes:  Deep breathing/exercise, fresh air, acceptance,
Dislikes:  Phlegm, dryness, shallow breathing, inflammation,
constipation, wind-cold, wind-heat

The Spleen

Season: Long-summer
Element: Earth
Partner organ: Stomach
Governs: Mouth, lips, fat, lymph
Function: Digestion, creation of Blood and Qi, extraction of nutrients
Emotional force:  Awareness, discernment
Likes: Healthy nutrition (fresh, clean, simple, natural, unprocessed), peace of mind
Dislikes: Too much sweet or rich foods, worry, obsession, dampness, sitting or looking excessively

The Kidneys

Season: Winter
Element: Water
Partner organ:  Urinary bladder
Governs:  Bones, marrow, teeth, hair, ears, brain, essence, libido
Function:  Water metabolism, reproduction, hormones, adrenals
Emotional force: Will-power, fear
Likes:  Restful sleep, good work-life balance, proper posture, healthy sex life
Dislikes: Excessive amounts of: work, physical labour, sex, exercise, adrenaline, fear, anxiety

Keeping the above in mind while navigating these colder months will serve your body well and make you less vulnerable to catching colds and other sicknesses.  Align yourself with the intention that you will serve your immune organs well this winter.
So what should you do if you are symptomatic of a weakened immune system or have existing issues with any of the three burner organs?  
Book an appointment or consultation with a registered Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, who will be able to isolate where and how your Zheng Qi is being compromised.  Regular acupuncture treatments and Chinese herbal remedies can assist in both preventative and remedial cases.  
You can also consult the organ profiles above to determine individualized areas of need that best fit your life and schedule.  
Perhaps you will commit to more conscious deep breathing or strengthening the communication in your relationship this fall to benefit the lungs, or work on better sleeping strategies during the long hibernating months of winter to benefit the kidneys.  
 Whichever area you choose to focus on, celebrate in the fact that you are becoming more organ-mindful and immune healthy!
For further practical tips to help boost and maintain a strong immune system, you may want to read the following blog posts:

 “Six Natural Ways To Protect Yourself Against Colds, Coughs & the Flu Using Chinese Medicine.”

“Acupuncture for Seasonal Transitions”

“Six Ways to Strengthen your Spleen in the Long Summer”

“Five Healthy Breakfasts to Strengthen your Spleen in the Winter”

3 Steps to Treating Environmental and Seasonal Allergies with Traditional Chinese Medicine

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the body is always engaged in a battle between “True Energy” and Evil Energy.” It may sound biblical, but it has nothing to do with religion. It has everything to do the healthy balance within the body.
“True Energy”, known as Zheng Qi in Chinese Medicine, is inseparable from the immune system. It’s what empowers the body to heal itself and ward off bacterias, viruses or allergens. Evil Energy, known as Xie Qi in Chinese, refers to nothing on the plane of morals but to pathogenic influences like virus, bacterias, allergens, toxins, poisons, molds, etc.taiji-logo
Based on this theory there are two ways we can get sick: Due to a very strong pathogen (Evil Energy) that overpowers our immune system (True Energy). Or if our True Energy gets weak enough then even a relatively weak pathogen can do us harm.
This explains why some people get sick all the time; because their True Energy is weak and easily overcome by any virus or bacteria that is circulating This also explains why during major epidemic outbreaks, like during the great plague, some people were immune to the illness; because their True Energy was stronger than the Evil Energy of the epidemic.
Those who suffer from seasonal or environmental allergies have a weakened True Energy so they are affected by influences which others are immune to. The traditional Chinese medical protocol for overcoming allergies is to strengthen the True Energy to be able to withstand these allergens and not react to them.
There are 3 main steps in Chinese medicine to doing this. The first is to cleanse the system of the influences that are weakening the True Energy in the first place. After it’s no longer being compromised by these the second step is to boost the True Energy of the body. Finally the third step is to open the meridian channels with Acu-Points.

Step 1. Cleanse & Detoxify

Most people suffering from allergies have toxins in their body which weaken their True Energy. This causes a systemic low-grade inflammation that gets triggered into a greater inflammatory response when they come into contact with an allergen.

Based on Chinese medicine, the sinuses, skin and lungs are connected with digestive health. Cleansing the body andcolon-cleansing-1024x768 the digestive system of toxins can often bring instant relief to allergy symptoms. There are dozens of ways to cleanse the body and thousands of “cleansing” products on the market.
But you don’t need to buy an expensive herbal cleanse program. Just follow the guidelines below for 3-7 weeks to detoxify your body. If you need a more intensive cleanse, then consult a qualified health practitioner who knows about safe and healthy cleansing.

9 Simple Cleansing Guidelines:

1. Avoid all processed foods and refined sugars.
2. Eat 30-50% less than usual
3. Eat nutrient-dense whole foods with minimal processing
4. Avoid dairy, wheat, gluten and anything with additives, preservatives or food coloring
5. Eat a lot of leafy & green vegetables with plenty of fibre
6. Drink at 4-6 litres a day of pure water (not tap water)
7. Every two days take an Epsom salt bath and relax
8. Sleep and rest more
9. Saunas are great too to sweat out toxins

Step 2. Strengthen your “True Energy”

Traditional Chinese medicine understands that there is a vital energy that flows through your whole body and is responsible for circulation, metabolism and vitality. It’s called “Qi” (pronounced ‘chee’). Boosting your “Qi” will strengthen your True Energy and regulate your immune system. Here are some ways to boost your “Qi”:

Exercise, but not to the extreme.bg-fitness_720x480_1200x9005
The body is made to move, stretch, sweat and push past it’s limits. The body loves exercise. It doesn’t really matter what kind of exercise you do, as long as you get a good cardiovascular workout with sweating and breathing. Just don’t overdo it. Some people get addicted to exercise and they end up exhausting their bodies by exercising too much. Very often I see people in my clinic who have exhausted their Qi by exercising too much! So find the balance that’s right for you – and enjoy recovery after exercise.
Get enough sleep & rest.
Our internal organs and cells repair themselves and build up Qi-Energy during sleep. You should get at least an average of 7-8 hours of solid restful sleep a night. Getting adequate rest and sleep will do wonders to build your Qi-Energy. Balance stress with rest. Even if you don’t get enough sleep, then make a point of resting during the day, so you can let your body rebuild the Qi. If you’re always moving and going, then you’re burning Qi. You need to rest to build it.
Breathe steadily and deeply.
Breathing is one of the ways we build Qi-Energy. Keep conscious of your breath throughout the day, while at work, shopping, driving, walking or doing anything. Many people with allergies tend to breathe shallow or hold their breath too much. Practicing yoga, qigong, meditation or tai chi are all good ways to get more in touch with your breathing.
Maintain good posture.
Our Qi-Energy flows through what are called “meridians” in the body. These are channels of circulation that connect our internal organs with our limbs and head. When your slouch or maintain a bad posture, then the meridians get blocked and the Qi-Energy can’t flow. This can cause all kinds of health problems like pain, allergies, digestive issues, chronic illnesses, etc. If you don’t think you have a good posture, then seek professional help. Learn qigong, do yoga, get acupuncture, rolfing or other therapy to help re-align your body, open your meridians and build your Qi-Energy

Step 3: Relieve Allergy Symptoms with Acu-Point Stimulation

Acupuncture uses hundreds of acu-points on the body to open the meridian channels and stimulate organ health.

This article isn’t long enough to explain how it works. And you don’t need to know all the points to get relief from allergy symptoms. You don’t always need acupuncture, you can stimulate the acu-points with your fingers.
The pictures below illustrate the most important acu-points to strengthen your immune system and reduce the symptoms of seasonal allergies.  Just press on these points for 5-15 seconds each while breathing slowly and deeply. Concentrate on relaxing your entire body while you do this. See for yourself how doing this whenever the symptoms appear brings you relief.
If you want to really get rid of your allergies, then seek the help of a registered traditional Chinese medicine practitioner (R.TCMP) or a registered acupuncturist (R.Ac).  You can click on the appointments tab on this page to schedule an appointment with me.

 

Photo face sm with pointsPhoto legs sm with points

Photo hand sm with points