Acupuncture has long been used in the East to help strengthen the immune system and immune functioning. The trend has grown in popularity in the West and acupuncture treatments are widely now widely used to help strengthen lung function and bring the body into balance.

“Maintaining balance is very important during seasonal changes and cold/flu epidemics,” says Sher Demeter, LAc, clinic operations assistant for the Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MCAOM) at Northwestern Health Sciences University. “A series of four weekly treatments during a seasonal change can provide an extra measure of support when the immune system may be more fragile.”

Acupuncture can help release pathogenic influences from the exterior level (i.e. colds) that haven’t yet penetrated into the lungs. It can also help support immune and lung function. If pathogens have penetrated deep into the lungs (i.e. bronchitis), they becomes internal, so your acupuncturist may focus more on strengthening the lung and try to prevent further penetration into the body.

There are different acupuncture points that are utilized during treatment. It all depends on the symptoms you experience. Acupuncture treatment is individualized to each person. Person “A” will not receive the same treatment as person “B” even if they experience similar symptoms.

For lung problems, there are points on the upper extremities that can help relieve these problems. Some acupuncturists use the local and distant approach (again, if you can put parentheses after “local” and “distant” or add a sentence to explain what these are, it will read better) (and may use points on the chest and head (sinuses). For bronchitis, there’s points on the arms as well as the legs that may help reduce phlegm.