Navigating Autoimmune Issues with TCM

Autoimmune diseases affect millions of people in the United States. These conditions are both tricky to diagnose and to treat. Acupuncture, among other holistic and integrative forms of care, can help those afflicted to experience real relief.

The Immune System in Western and Chinese Medicine

Our bodies come equipped with a force that protects us against foreign invaders like bacteria, fungi and viruses: our immune system. It has two main parts — the innate immune system, which is what we’re born with, and the acquired immune system, which grows over time as our bodies are exposed and become responsive to different pathogens. The immune system is vast and complex. It is powered and stored in many parts of the body including the lymph nodes, lymphatic tissues, adenoids, bone marrow, thymus, and tonsils, to name a few.

Chinese medicine believes that the body is always circulating with various types of qi, or vital life energy, that all serve different purposes. There are a few types of qi that are particularly involved in the immune system’s processes. Our zhen (or “true”) qi, for example, is very important in the regulation of the immune system. It evolves from a combination of our yuan (or innate and inherited) qi and our zong (or nourishment and respiration) qi.

There are two types of zhen qi. The first is called ying (or nutritive) qi, which flows in the blood vessels, and this is the closest comparison to the innate immune system. The second type is called the wei (or defensive) qi, which flows outside the blood vessels and protects the exterior of the body from invaders. This could more closely be linked to the acquired immune system. Signs that your wei qi has come in contact with an external pathogen are fever and chills, a micro-sweat on the skin (especially the back of the neck) or a runny nose. These show that the body is trying to expel an invader before it has fully made its way in.

What is an Autoimmune Disease?

An autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system stops being able to differentiate its own cells from those of pathogens and other foreign invaders, which leads the body to attack itself. Autoimmune diseases can affect individual organs and specific tissues, or they can be systemic and affect the whole body. Examples of autoimmune diseases include Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, lupus, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Crohn’s disease. Symptoms of autoimmune diseases vary based on which systems or organs are affected, but first signs are often similar and include fatigue, achy muscles, low-grade fevers, rashes, swelling and other signs of inflammation.

Chinese medicine does not recognize specific patterns that equate to autoimmune diseases, but it considers these phenomena to be part of a disease process where either internal or external pathogens generate inflammatory heat throughout multiple systems of the body, which then creates an imbalance in the flow of zhen qi. This typically manifests as overactive wei (defensive) qi and underactive ying (nutritive) qi.

How are autoimmune diseases typically treated and how can acupuncture help?

Autoimmune diseases are complex to treat and manage. Western medical treatment for autoimmune diseases typically includes a combination of immunosuppressants, corticosteroids and pain management medications.

In treating autoimmune diseases with Chinese Medicine, acupuncturists will start by assessing each patient’s presentation in wholeness to determine which patterns of disharmony are present, which meridians may be affected, and the overall balance of substances like qi, yin and yang in the body. The health of the Liver, Kidney, Spleen and zhen qi will be examined, as well as systemic signs of damp heat or yin fire (the pathogenic loss of yin substances like blood and body fluids via inflammatory processes). Heat and fire can be generated internally through stress, psycho-emotional triggers and genetic predispositions, or externally through exposure to environmental toxins, unfavorable climates and viruses/bacteria.

Once the acupuncturist has determined a patient’s diagnosis, they will place the needles strategically along correlated energy meridians to stimulate the smooth flow of qi, promote balance within the organs, regulate the substances of blood and yin, and clear any heat or dampness from the body.

Research has shown that acupuncture can help to regulate the immune system, decrease inflammation, reduce stress and decrease pain levels, all of which can facilitate real healing for patients suffering from symptoms of autoimmune disease.

Photo by Engin Akyurt

Becker, L. (2020, June 7). Autoimmune conditions + Chinese Medicine — Balance Acupuncture – Charleston, SC. Balance Acupuncture – Charleston, SC.

Hou, W., Xu, G., & Wang, H. (2011). Treating Autoimmune Disease with Chinese Medicine.