Healthy Immune System: the Basics

There are several levels on which we build a wellbeing of our immune system. The core problem which prevents an optimal functioning of our immune system may be related to our constitution and background; default stress reactions; current functioning of lymphatic and immune systems; quality of information encoded in our limbic system or even to our Qi being tied up in our internal conflicts.

Here we start with the most obvious level: immune and lymphatic system. When our immune system is not quite functioning correctly we tend to get frequent (or severe) respiratory problems including colds and flus, as well as acute and chronic inflammatory conditions of other organs and systems: pain and inflammation of teeth, joints, ears, eyes, kidneys, bladder etc – depending on the inherently weak systems within our body.

Building a wellbeing of our immune system we tend to start with what hurts (rarely do we tend to be really proactive and practice preventative approach…) and so we then assess our healing progress by longer remissions, shorter acute periods and milder symptoms. There are several different strategies as well as many therapies and treatments in Colourpuncture to support our immune system (in many training materials these treatments go under a term ‘defence’); here are the very basics. While being basic (more in a sense that the foundation of the house is the basis for the entire house), these simple steps practiced on a regular basis – both during the acute stages and (in a maintenance mode) in between them – will make for profound long term positive changes. Please refer to the video above for Acupuncture points, Colourpuncture colour choices and descriptions as well as to the Related Reading list below for recommended articles/videos. This sequence of points forms a basic mini-treatment – you can totally add to it if you wish. It will however, work as it is: the aim here is to make it easy and realistic to be repeated – little and often.

Basic level Colourpuncture strategies

Symptomatic relief (of pains and aches, and blockages such as blocked sinuses or ears)
Promoting adequate lymphatic drainage (link to Oil video + 2020 articles; establishing the free flow and drainage of lymph starts with the ‘Lymph 1 area’: the head, face and neck. This highlights the importance of first focusing on healing and maintaining good lymph circulation in these areas both for organs located there and for the rest of the body, including ‘Lymph 2 area’ (chest) and ‘Lymph 3 area’ (abdomen)
General elimination and detoxification support.

Simple, short, targeted protocols for immediate symptomatic relief (Lu/LI meridian points for general cold/flu symptoms and also for blocked nose; Ki/Bl meridian points or LI2 points for sore throat; Ki or Ht meridian points for ear inflammation and so on) are realistic to practice as daily self-care; they are effective and so work best.

Include some points to support lymphatic drainage in Lymph 1 area: head, face and neck (even if this is just long downward Yellow light on Ren 22).

Finish with some elimination and detoxification points depending on your constitution and nature of the acute problem (classic Acupuncture Shu points or/and alarm points for elimination and detoxification organs, translated into Colourpuncture colours).

Basic level Lifestyle changes

Food and drink (decide if you need more specific stimulating/relaxing herbal teas – upon professional advice – or go for balanced teas; educate yourself on immune system friendly food: orange fruits and veg; leafy greens; eating according to seasons and your metabolic type etc); adequate hydration + less food during the acute period of the inflammatory problem; supporting Kidneys and Large Intestine as well as skin in their work
Inner work (Journalling, Dreamwork, time in nature)
Adequate daily movement for your body abilities and demands, but also – feeding your Soul and lifting your Spirit.

Herbal teas

Reflect on your current preferences, which need do your current choice of teas/drinks serve?

For me, my much loved freshly grated lemon and ginger tea is a guilt free coffee in a way: it gives me freshness and energy yet ginger can be excessively stimulating. My mint/lemon balm tea is relaxing (and so is a guilt free alcohol lol). While being ‘herbal’ and natural, these drinks directly influence the functioning of our SNS (sympathetic) and PNS (parasympathetic) nervous systems ’on demand’. Tea ‘Relax’ is different; it’s a balancing tea by design because of a rich and balanced composition of herbs it contains. So tea Relax doesn’t directly influence the energies but rather aims to balance and interconnect the functioning of various body systems with various herbs acting in synergy. Tea Relax promotes digestion, relaxation and is anti-inflammatory. That’s my choice when I feel that the balance (or reducing inflammation) rather than direct stimulation/relaxation is what I need.

The Arts and Joy

Hands down, a good comedy is the best (read: quick) choice for joy: it gives us hope, restores trust in life and human nature; it uplifts us and makes us smile. However…if the situation within or around us is truly difficult, watching a light-hearted comedy may sometimes have an opposite effect – it is as if you are distracting yourself or even lying to yourself by trying to escape into this virtual world of simplicity and ease, light hearted developments, predictable culminations and traditional happy endings. In difficult times, personal or collective, we may want to choose something more serious and deep; something of a very good quality and maybe even with a reality of drama (even if this isn’t something we would normally choose for entertainment) but something which shows us the beauty and strength of a human spirit in an art form: how people lived through the hard times; in difficult external situations; with complex internal conflicts and so on.

How they lived, how they loved; how overcoming various challenges they lived on – becoming wiser, deeper, humbler, more present; how their characters both strengthened and softened while being shaped up by life’s challenges, how they found humility and compassion. In arts for joy or contentment it’s important to tune in to choose but also it’s sometimes just about trying different art genres to see what works for you at this stage of life. We may discover many hidden gems this way; something we wouldn’t have come across if we would habitually stick to the same genre no matter the life’s situation and stage on our path.

Immune system in different medical systems

Inflammatory conditions; acute and chronic diseases, pains and aches: the way we tend to think of a self-care in these situations greatly depends on where we are and which system of medicine/therapies we are most familiar with.

When we think of inflammatory conditions – acute or chronic – from the western point of view, usually we have our immune system in focus; but it’ll be the lymphatic system if we consult natural therapies as here we focus on draining the lymph from the face, head and neck and then from chest and abdomen and thus supporting the immune system. In all natural therapies, ‘the soil of the body’, the ‘ground regulation’ – in simple terms how ‘clean’ and dynamically functioning our cells and tissues are – plays the most important part, alongside the lymphatic system.

When we think of inflammatory conditions from the TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) perspective, we have a concept of ‘invasion by external pathogens’ and our susceptibility to external pathogens depends on our general Qi (more specifically Wei Qi); so the treatment strategy is ‘to expel the pathogens’ while ‘supporting the Qi/Wei Qi‘. If we take common respiratory problems/inflammatory conditions, in order to expel the pathogens we usually reach for the classic Acupuncture points on LI and Lu meridians located on/near the hands and wrists (because this is where the most distal points on Lu and LI meridians are located and where the Qi is shallow and so easy to tap into) and on the face (this is the first local area directly affected by ‘invasion of external pathogens’). Translating classic Acupuncture points into self-care with Acupressure and Colourpuncture, good basic points are: LI4, Lu7, the line LI1-4 and so on. The default Colourpuncture colour is Red; if there is fever – change to Blue until the fever subsides.

Immune system self-care with Colourpuncture

You can create a very simple self-care Acupressure/Colorpuncture sequence for yourself using resources on this site starting with the mini treatment in the video above. Read and learn the descriptions of the names and functions of each individual Acupuncture point you use so you can understand better what you are doing so you can be more intentional and actually focus on the quality of each point – combined with the quality of the Colourpuncture colour you use. In the video above the demo is very short – please refer to Colourpuncture timings options but usually for spectral colours the application is 30 sec to 1 min per point. Get cosy and comfy and give yourself this wonderful and simple self-care 🙂

If you have any questions I’d be happy to support you, please use the form below to get in touch.

If you are interested in Colourpuncture please book a free, no obligation chat with me to ask your questions or discuss your options if you are interested in learning Colourpuncture. Colourpuncture has been a great gift in my life and I’m happy to share my experience and my perspective on what could be the best choice for you.

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