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Acupuncture reduces mortality from influenza. Two independent investigations confirm acupuncture’s efficacy for fighting influenza. One laboratory investigation tested acupuncture as a monotherapy and determined that acupuncture lowers mortality rates, increases serum interferon levels, and improves the phagocytosis of viruses. Another investigation finds acupuncture effective for enhancing the clinical effictiveness of anti-viral drugs. Let’s start with the integrative investigation and we’ll look at the acupuncture monotherapy next.
Researchers from the Taizhou Municipal Hospital combined acupuncture with standard drug therapy. Patients receiving both oseltamivir and acupuncture in a combined treatment protocol had superior patient outcomes compared with patients receiving only oseltamivir. [1] In an independent laboratory experiment, the researchers proved that acupuncture exerts an antiviral effect by increasing the serum level of interferon (IFN) and improves phagocyte function in rats with influenza virus infections. [2]
The research team of Lang et al. compared a control group receiving only oseltamivir (an antiviral drug, also known by the brand-name Tamiflu) and a treatment group receiving both acupuncture and oseltamivir. The treatment group patients had significantly shorter recovery times for relieving fever, sore throat, and coughing. The researchers conclude that the addition of acupuncture to an oseltamivir treatment regimen increases the effective rate of oseltamivir for the treatment of influenza. Furthermore, the researchers conclude that acupuncture is both effective and safe; acupuncture did not produce any severe adverse effects.
Results
Following treatment, the average recovery time from fever was 63.80 hours in the drug monotherapy control group and 57.05 hours in the acupuncture plus drug treatment group. On average, acupuncture reduced fevers by 6.75 hours.
The average recovery time from sore throat was 80.35 hours in the control group and 71.25 hours in the treatment group. Acupuncture improved the pharynx pain recovery time by 9.1 hours.
The average recovery time from coughing and other symptoms was 115.20 hours in the drug monotherapy control group and 104.70 hours in the acupuncture plus drug treatment group; acupuncture produced an improvement of 10.5 hours. The recovery time refers to the time it takes to completely relieve symptoms (including body temperature ≤37.4 degrees Celsius) for at least 24 hours from the start of treatment. The results showed that acupuncture significantly increases the total effective rate of oseltamivir and the combined therapy shortens the development course of H1N1 influenza.
Design
Researchers (Lang et al.) used the following study design. A total of 80 patients diagnosed with H1N1 influenza were treated and evaluated They were randomly divided into an acupuncture plus drug treatment group and a drug monotherapy control group, with 40 patients in each group. Inclusion criteria were established and included the following:
Treatment Procedure
Both groups were given identical drug therapy. A total of 75 mg of oseltamivir was administered twice daily, for a total of 5 days as one treatment course. Symptomatic treatment (antipyretic analgesics, antitussives, or expectorants) were also given if necessary.
The treatment group received acupuncture treatment. The following primary acupoints were selected bilaterally for the treatment group:
Additional secondary acupoints were added based on symptom presentation:
The Taizhou Municipal Hospital researchers determined that acupuncture improves outcomes for influenza patients taking oseltamivir. This includes reductions of fevers and symptomatic relief. Overall, the total recovery time improves when acupuncture is added to the drug therapy treatment regimen.
Nanjing University
In another investigation, Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) researchers investigated the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on rats infected with influenza virus. They found that both acupuncture and moxibustion decrease the mortality rate and increase the average survival time. In addition, they document that both TCM therapies significantly increase the serum level of IFN and improve phagocytosis of viruses.
Interferon (IFN) plays a major role in defective neutrophil recruitment and influenza virus killing. [3] The researchers conclude that both acupuncture and moxibustion are effective for the treatment of influenza. Notably, acupuncture produced superior outcomes over moxibustion therapy.
Three groups were compared. The first group received acupuncture. The second group received moxibustion. The third group was a control. For the acupuncture treatment group, a needle was inserted into one single point (Dazhui, GV14) and was manipulated with the twisting technique with a frequency of 30–50 times per minute. For the moxibustion treatment group, 10–15 mg of moxa cigar cuttings were applied upon the acupoint Guanyuan (CV4). A total of 4 cuttings were used in one treatment session. The above treatments were conducted daily, for 3 consecutive days in total. The control group received no treatment.
The mortality rate of the acupuncture treatment group was 63.5% and was 78.6% for the moxibustion group. The control group mortality rate was 96.4%. In addition, overall survival times improves in the acupuncture and moxibustion groups.
Summary
The aforementioned independent investigations indicate that acupuncture reduces mortality from influenza and acupuncture is an important treatment option for the treatment of influenza. Acupuncture improves the serum level of IFN and improves phagocytosis of viruses. Patients are encouraged to contact local licensed acupuncturists to consult about treatment options.
References
[1] Lang BX, Jin LQ, Liu SN, Liu XR. Clinical observation on the effect of acupuncture combined with conventional therapy on influenza H1N1 [J]. Chinese Archives of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2011, 29(2):411-412.
[2] Chou YF, Cao YM, Wang JL, Yang ZM, Qiu ML. Protective effect of acupuncture on mice infected with influenza virus [J]. China Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, 1990(2):16-18.
[3] Wenjing Li, Bruno Moltedo, Thomas M. Moran. Type I Interferon Induction during Influenza Virus Infection Increases Susceptibility to Secondary Streptococcus pneumoniae Infection by Negative Regulation of T Cells [J]. Journal of Virology, Oct 2012, 86 (22) 12304-12312.
Telemedicine available now for Chinese herb treatment of infections.
For new and existing patients we are immediately offering telemedicine video conferences for you to discuss your health concerns with Laura Christensen LAc over a secure, HIPPA compliant connection.
Just go to our Patient Tools tab on our website, click “create appointment” and you will either open your patient account or create one. Then scroll to the bottom of the list of services and choose Telemedicine consult 60 min. If you are coming back for a check-in, choose either 30 minute or 15 minute for your time. Then the available appointments will be highlighted in our calendar. You will receive an email reminder about an hour before your video call.
Then be sure your computer is on, you have either headset with mic, or a set of earbuds with mic, and computer camera ready to go. You can test those using the settings function on your computer. Also be sure you have a fast internet connection. If not fast enough, the system will invite you to convert to just an audio session. We would prefer to collect your fee by credit card at the beginning of the session and we have a virtual terminal to enter this charge without swiping your card. Prepare for your meeting also by having a list of what you’d like to address, and a way to take notes during the conversation.
If you are sick, Laura will need a good image of your tongue in order to prescribe the proper chinese herb formula. She is up to date in studying these formulas and her pharmacy is prepared to prescribe specialized ones based on the recent experiences of the Chinese doctors in China.
Laura will either guide you to where to purchase the appropriate herb formula, or will compound it in her pharmacy and you can pick it up at the office. Long distance patients cannot be well served with this system, as the formula could change every day or so and immediately modifying the prescription could be necessary.
We can also recommend nutritional supplements that will support your immune system or help you recover from the acute stage of a viral infection. We can also support those suffering from allergies at this time of year in the US.
Watch this space for changes in our telemedicine news.
Call 319-341-0031. We look very much forward to serving you.
Yes, flu season is here. You may not want to have a flu shot but there ARE things you can do at the first sign of getting sick. We have a whole protocol to help you manage symptoms, get better faster, and strengthen your immune system to prevent getting sick. Chinese herbs can be personalized for your exact condition. Supplements can assist with your immune system. Professional Chinese herbalist Laura Christensen is trained to help you!
Call for an appointment today and Laura can make a personalized plan for you. 319-341-0031
Acupuncture is effective for the treatment of influenza. Two independent investigations confirm acupuncture’s efficacy for fighting influenza. One laboratory investigation tested acupuncture as a monotherapy and determined that acupuncture lowers mortality rates, increases serum interferon levels, and improves the phagocytosis of viruses. Another investigation finds acupuncture effective for enhancing the clinical efficaciousness of anti-viral drugs. Let’s start with the integrative investigation and we’ll look at the acupuncture monotherapy next.
Researchers from the Taizhou Municipal Hospital combined acupuncture with standard drug therapy. Patients receiving both oseltamivir and acupuncture in a combined treatment protocol had superior patient outcomes compared with patients receiving only oseltamivir. [1] In an independent laboratory experiment, the researchers proved that acupuncture exerts an antiviral effect by increasing the serum level of interferon (IFN) and improves phagocyte function in rats with influenza virus infections. [2]
The research team of Lang et al. compared a control group receiving only oseltamivir (an antiviral drug, also known by the brand-name Tamiflu) and a treatment group receiving both acupuncture and oseltamivir. The treatment group patients had significantly shorter recovery times for relieving fever, pharyngodynia (pharynx pain), and coughing. The researchers conclude that the addition of acupuncture to an oseltamivir treatment regimen increases the effective rate of oseltamivir for the treatment of influenza. Furthermore, the researchers conclude that acupuncture is both effective and safe; acupuncture did not produce any severe adverse effects.
Results
Following treatment, the average recovery time from fever was 63.80 hours in the drug monotherapy control group and 57.05 hours in the acupuncture plus drug treatment group. On average, acupuncture reduced fevers by 6.75 hours.
The average recovery time from pharyngodynia was 80.35 hours in the control group and 71.25 hours in the treatment group. Acupuncture improved the pharynx pain recovery time by 9.1 hours.
The average recovery time from coughing and other symptoms was 115.20 hours in the drug monotherapy control group and 104.70 hours in the acupuncture plus drug treatment group; acupuncture produced an improvement of 10.5 hours. The recovery time refers to the time it takes to completely relieve symptoms (including body temperature ≤37.4 degrees Celsius) for at least 24 hours from the start of treatment. The results showed that acupuncture significantly increases the total effective rate of oseltamivir and the combined therapy shortens the development course of H1N1 influenza.
Design
Researchers (Lang et al.) used the following study design. A total of 80 patients diagnosed with H1N1 influenza were treated and evaluated They were randomly divided into an acupuncture plus drug treatment group and a drug monotherapy control group, with 40 patients in each group. Inclusion criteria were established and included the following:
The statistical breakdown for each randomized group entering the study was as follows. The control group was comprised of 22 males and 18 females. The average age in the control group was 22.55 years. The average course of disease in the control group was 21.73 hours. The body temperature in the control group was 38.59. The treatment group was comprised of 19 males and 21 females. The average age in the treatment group was 24.05 years. The average course of disease in the treatment group was 20.89 hours. The body temperature in the treatment group was 38.71. There were no significant statistical differences in gender, age, course of disease, and body temperature relevant to patient outcome measures for patients initially admitted to the study.
Treatment Procedure
Both groups were given identical drug therapy. A total of 75 mg of oseltamivir was administered twice daily, for a total of 5 days as one treatment course. Symptomatic treatment (antipyretic analgesics, antitussives, or expectorants) were also given if necessary.
The treatment group received acupuncture treatment. The following primary acupoints were selected bilaterally for the treatment group:
Additional secondary acupoints were added based on symptom presentation:
After insertion, needles were manipulated with the attenuation (xie) technique for 2–3 times during a 10–15 minute needle retention time. For Yuji and Shaoshang (used for sore throat patients), the bleeding technique was applied instead of using the attenuation technique. The acupuncture treatment was administered daily, for a total of 5 days as one treatment course.
The Taizhou Municipal Hospital researchers determined that acupuncture improves outcomes for influenza patients taking oseltamivir. This includes reductions of fevers and symptomatic relief. Overall, the total recovery time improves when acupuncture is added to the drug therapy treatment regimen.
Nanjing University
In another investigation, Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) researchers investigated the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on rats infected with influenza virus. They found that both acupuncture and moxibustion decrease the mortality rate and increase the average survival time. In addition, they document that both TCM therapies significantly increase the serum level of IFN and improve phagocytosis of viruses.
Interferon (IFN) plays a major role in defective neutrophil recruitment and influenza virus killing. [3] The researchers conclude that both acupuncture and moxibustion are effective for the treatment of influenza. Notably, acupuncture produced superior outcomes over moxibustion therapy.
Three groups were compared. The first group received acupuncture. The second group received moxibustion. The third group was a control. For the acupuncture treatment group, a needle was inserted into one single point (Dazhui, GV14) and was manipulated with the twisting technique with a frequency of 30–50 times per minute. For the moxibustion treatment group, 10–15 mg of moxa cigar cuttings were applied upon the acupoint Guanyuan (CV4). A total of 4 cuttings were used in one treatment session. The above treatments were conducted daily, for 3 consecutive days in total. The control group received no treatment.
The mortality rate of the acupuncture treatment group was 63.5% and was 78.6% for the moxibustion group. The control group mortality rate was 96.4%. In addition, overall survival times improves in the acupuncture and moxibustion groups.
The serum IFN level of the acupuncture treatment group was 5.35 log IU/mL and that of the moxibustion treatment group was 4.22. The serum IFN level of both treatment groups was significantly higher that of the control group 2.63. The phagocytosis rate of virus infected cells for the acupuncture treatment group was 62.67% and was 50.58% for the moxibustion treatment group. Both were significantly higher than that of the control group, which was only 20.34%. Overall, acupuncture lower the mortality rate, increases serum interferon levels, and improves phagocytosis of viruses.
Summary
The aforementioned independent investigations indicate that acupuncture is an important treatment option for the treatment of influenza. Acupuncture improves the serum level of IFN and improves phagocytosis of viruses. Patients are encouraged to contact local licensed acupuncturists to consult about treatment options.
References
[1] Lang BX, Jin LQ, Liu SN, Liu XR. Clinical observation on the effect of acupuncture combined with conventional therapy on influenza H1N1 [J]. Chinese Archives of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2011, 29(2):411-412.
[2] Chou YF, Cao YM, Wang JL, Yang ZM, Qiu ML. Protective effect of acupuncture on mice infected with influenza virus [J]. China Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy, 1990(2):16-18.
[3] Wenjing Li, Bruno Moltedo, Thomas M. Moran. Type I Interferon Induction during Influenza Virus Infection Increases Susceptibility to Secondary Streptococcus pneumoniae Infection by Negative Regulation of T Cells [J]. Journal of Virology, Oct 2012, 86 (22) 12304-12312.
Source: HealthCMi
Where we are, here in Iowa in January of 2018, the influenza is at epidemic levels. There is a shortage of IV fluid all over because of the hurricane in Puerto Rico, where much of it is made. I’ve had super healthy friends come down with flu and end up hospitalized for serious lung infections. People have told me something that I’ve always secretly thought, that a foreign enemy could make our country powerless with a virus like influenza.
You know its influenza when you lie in bed for several days aching, chilling and feverish, with no appetite, and no energy at all. You can barely find the strength to get up and drink water, much less take care of family members and pets. Everything in the house comes to a stop when you are that sick, and you can certainly not take care of others who are sick.
Many people end up with serious lung infections after this stint of being bedridden for several reasons, one of which is that the immune system is completely busy with influenza virus, secondly, lying still and sleeping for so many hours keeps us from moving fluids through our lungs. Phlegm sits there and stuff grows. lastly, we are nutritionally depleted and just don’t have the resources to fight infections because we have not been eating.
In our community, in some of the retirement communities people are quarantined to their rooms, having meals brought to them. They are feeling isolated and bored without contact. In hospitals where patients are chronically housed, flu is spreading and taking down many.
If you have been through this lately, you know exactly what I’m speaking of. It is devastating to have influenza. You are so fatigued even after the initial bout is past, that you cannot work full time, cannot get chores done, and cannot do normal routines for a while. It can take 2-3 months to get back to normal energy and activity levels. And even very healthy people are finding themselves in this situation.
And lastly, this year’s flu shot did not have the coverage we’d hoped for. People who were inoculated still got sick anyway. And everyone seems to have a cold.
So, what does natural medicine have for this?
Prevention is always the best for infection, especially influenza. SO that means keeping the immune system healthy with good sleep, hydration, and moderate exercise and reduced stress if possible. Very frequent hand washing is critical, and avoiding being around sick people is important if possible.
Next is EARLY intervention. That means at the first sign of a sore throat or excess fatigue, we start with treatment for the virus. My preferred regimen is to take 50,000 IU of Vitamin D3, and begin antiviral treatment immediately, using Orthomolecular Product’s Viracid. The dose is 2 capsules every one to two hours till you reach twelve caps, and then wait. This product includes many of our old favorites for immune boosting, plus some you may not have heard of, such as andrographis, a powerful herb originating in India. After two days, one can get back to 5000 IU of D3 per day. Sleep is also critical here, and one should try for at least 8-9 hours per day, plus a nap if possible.
If the infection manages to get through anyway, then I recommend Chinese herbal formulas at the earliest time. We using a staging system called the Shang Han Lun to determine which formula is correct at which stage of the infection. We usually begin with something like Cinnamon Twig formula, and move into something more powerful such as White Tiger decoction if there is a high fever and big sore throat. Aggressive treatment with Chinese herbs can really help move through the process faster and without the long-term depletion that often follows flu.
Call our office, or your local natural health clinic for help with Chinese herbs. They are not appropriate for self prescription, due to their complexity.
Remember, early intervention is KEY for influenza.
Laura Christensen, MA, MAc, LAc, DiplAc(NCCAOM) Jan 2018
