Expert: R. Scott Malone L.Ac. - 3/15/2010

Question
I had a mild case of pneumonia recently, and now I'm sure everytime I catch a cold it will turn into pneumonia..And it left me mildly depressed. I was thinking maybe acupuncture would help the immune system and depression.  Is this true?  I've heard good & bad things about it.  I feel go to the source.  would it take many sessions to achieve this? thank you

Answer
Hey Jan,
Acupuncture and herbal medicine is top notch when it comes to pulmonary issues.
Common pneumonia are cough and green phlegm with fever.
In Chinese medicine we call this a wind heat invasion or perhaps phlegm heat obstructing the lungs.

There are great herbal formulas to resolve lung issues in Chinese medicine.
Often when we are deviled with lung issues of this nature part of the problem is that the cold never really clears and is likened to someone holding the door open for anyone else who wants to come in and cause trouble.

For chronic lung issues where the person catches every bug that comes along there is a great formula called Yu Ping Feng Sang, which translates as jade windscreen, that kicks the offending party out, slams the door and locks it.

The defensive qi that protects us is powered by the lung energy or qi, which in turn is powered by the stomach and spleen energy or qi.
Often times the stomach and spleen need to be tonified to make the lungs and defensive qi stronger.

Acupuncture is very good at dealing with mental-emotional issues as well.
In TCM, (traditional CHinese medicine), the body is seen as the substance of the mind, which means that the body and mind are seen as a continuum. No Cartesian split between body and mind in the East.
An imbalance in the emotions can cause imbalance in the body, and imbalance in the body can cause troubled emotions.

Often times chronic grief is the emotion that weakens the lung, but sometimes issues with structure being too rigid or even lack of structure can weaken the lungs.

I think acupuncture and herbal medicine are particularly well suited to your issues.
AS to how long, that's tough to say, but I think you would be well on your way after 5 sessions or so.

You've heard good and bad you say, I'm curious as to what the bad would be.
Perhaps I can allay your fears in that area as well.
Most often it's just lack of understanding.

Take care and be well,

R. Scott Malone L.Ac.