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E-News
Here you will find past articles of emailed news letters, please fill out form below if you would like to be added to our email list and receive information about Chinese medicine and our practice.
2/27/2008 News Letter
The Current Cough
In a quick Q&A with M.M. Van Benschoten you can learn a lot about the current
cough and illnesses that so many people are catching.
1) What are the most common current illnesses?
Bacterial, viral, and fungal infections of the sinuses, lungs, and digestive system
are the most common illnesses in my practice. The related symptoms include headaches, asthma, chronic fatigue, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, depression, etc. The long term effects of a diet based on dairy, sugar, white flour, and coffee contribute to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis.
2) Other than diet and nutrition, what are the best ways to avoid these?
Hand washing is the most important behavior to help prevent recurrent infections.
Dehydration from inadequate water intake can also cause exhaustion and increased risk for respiratory and urinary tract infections.
3) Do the recent fires have effects on our health now?
The effect of brush fires amplifies the levels of air pollutants that all Californians
are exposed to on a daily basis. Staying indoors during bad air quality, drinking
plenty of water, and avoiding toxic chemicals including chlorine based cleaning
products helps to limit the damage during fire season.
4) With current cough that people are catching, is the dry
weather part of the reason?
Dehydration due to indoor and outdoor air pollution and weather
conditions increase risk of lung infections. The ancient Chinese
aphorism "the lungs do not like dryness" is especially true for
frequent air travelers, where the lack of humidity and high levels of
chemical exposure cause damage to the lungs and immune system.
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