Is it useful to take Chinese medicine to improve immunity?

It depends on whether it is correct for the symptoms. If it is correct for the symptoms, it is indeed useful. Eating indiscriminately is not only useless but may also harm the body. Two years ago, I treated an aunt who was over 60 years old. She caught a cold when spring and autumn changed. She had allergic rhinitis and sneezed more than a dozen times in a row, with tears and runny nose. When she went to check the immunoglobulin G index, it was almost 1/3 lower than the normal value. Western medicine suggested that she take thymosin regularly. She was afraid of the pain and refused. When I came here, She had a pale tongue with white coating and a very weak pulse, which was typical of lung qi deficiency, so she was prescribed a modified version of Yupingfeng Powder, which she took five days a week for two months. Last winter, when everyone around her got the flu, she had no problems. When she went for a review this spring, her immune indicators had returned to the normal range, which is a symptomatic effect.

But it is not useful for everyone. Last month, a young man in his 20s came over and said that he heard on the Internet that astragalus improves immunity. He took half a kilogram of it every day and soaked it in a large pot of water to drink. After drinking it for half a month, his mouth was full of bubbles and he had three nosebleeds. , couldn't sleep all night, and his immunity was not up after checking. His tonsils were so swollen that they almost blocked his throat. He has a damp-heat constitution. If he drank astragalus to replenish energy, it would not be like adding firewood to a burning house.

It’s no wonder that many people now think that immune regulation by traditional Chinese medicine is an IQ tax. I have many Western medicine friends who hold this view. They feel that there are currently insufficient large-sample clinical data to prove that a certain traditional Chinese medicine can directly increase immune globulin or lymphocyte count. Many people take it because it is effective. It may be a psychological suggestion. They always talk to me about cases of liver and kidney damage caused by drinking Chinese medicine indiscriminately, and advise me not to prescribe immune regulation prescriptions to patients casually.

In fact, I think both sides are right. Immunity is not a single indicator, and it does not mean that a high value is necessarily good. If the immune system is overactive, it will attack its own normal cells. People who get autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid are caused by "too capable" immunity. Chinese medicine adjusts the balance of the entire immunity, not just adding values. Just like your security guard, if he fishes every day and doesn't work, you give him some bonuses to cheer him up and he will patrol well. If he has a bad temper and beats people when he sees people, and you give him a salary increase, then you can't drive away all the customers who come to your door?

Many studies have now confirmed that commonly used body-regulating herbs such as Astragalus, Codonopsis, and Ligustrum lucidum can indeed regulate the activity of immune cells, but the prerequisite is that they match your physical condition. If you really want to rely on Chinese medicine to regulate your immunity, don't search for folk prescriptions on the Internet. Find a regular Chinese doctor first to see what your condition is. If you really need it, then take medicine as needed. This is better than anything else.