Auto-Immune Disorders

Autoimmune diseases are a group of disorders in which the immune system attacks the body and destroys or alters tissues. There are more than eighty serious chronic illnesses in this category including thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, Addison's disease, pernicious anemia, celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis and Guillain–Barré syndrome. 

Please also visit our Hidden Disability Page for further information and support, as a lot of auto-immune conditions are seen as Invisible Illnesses.

How can acupuncture help?

Clinical research has shown that acupuncture causes physical responses in nerve cells, the pituitary gland, and parts of the brain. These responses can cause the body to release proteins, hormones, and brain chemicals that control a number of body functions. It is proposed that, by these actions, acupuncture affects blood pressure, body temperature and the immune system.

How does acupuncture have this effect on our immune system?

Acupuncture activates the defense systems. It influences specific and nonspecific cellular and humoral immunities; activates cell proliferation, including blood, reticuloendothelial, and traumatized cells; and activates leucocytosis, microbicidal activity, antibodies, globulin, complement, and interferon. It modulates hypothalamic-pituitary control of the autonomic and neuroendocrine systems, especially microcirculation, response of smooth and striated muscle, and local and general thermoregulation.