Eastern Medicine Connection – November 2019

There is no good time of year to get sick. Working in hospitals since I was a teenager, I used to fall ill all the time. Even though I only worked with cardiac and surgical patients, where germs were neutralized at every turn, I was vulnerable to every kind of microbe that blew my way. Since this cycle stopped a few years ago, I realized what ancient physicians have known all along: It’s not just a matter of exposure that make one infirm, it’s susceptibility that takes one down for the count.

Without our knowledge, a myriad of bodily systems work ceaselessly on our behalf in order to maintain homeostasis and fight disease. Our lungs play a huge role in this. Although the air in Jacksonville is more pristine than most cities, there are still pollutants and pathogens that we inhale, no matter how careful one is. These enter into the bloodstream, causing both long and short-term effects.

Instead of worrying, which also suppresses the immune system, there are things we can do to mitigate these. Remember that the lungs don’t only bring in, they also expel. Most of us are not optimizing this constant ventilation system because we have developed a habit of shallow breathing. I credit this to prolonged periods of sitting since childhood (think long school days). I teach my patients to take deep, long breaths, engaging the diaphragm that pulls downward as the lungs expand, optimizing gas exchange and benefitting overall blood circulation and digestive functions.

Pollutants need to circulate out of the blood stream before they settle in vulnerable crevices like marrow or glands. The brain is highly sensitive to any chemical changes in the blood, so if you are experiencing unexplained brain fog, this could be the cause.

Breathing exercises assist in optimal blood circulation that carries these particulates to the liver where they can be filtered out into the digestive tract and eliminated from the body.

Yvette Bedrossian

Yvette Bedrossian is a licensed accupuncturist, board certified herbalist and Registered Nurse. She practices Chinese Medicine at Spa Jacksonville. If you or someone you love could benefit from an improvement in health, call her at 541-625-3566.