Some people go through a Brisbane winter untouched. Others catch every single thing, take twice as long to shake it, and are still coughing when the next one arrives. Chinese medicine has always treated that difference as the interesting part.
Defensive qi and why some people catch everything
The concept is wei qi — defensive qi, the protective layer circulating at the body’s surface, generated from digestion and dispersed by the Lung. Where it is weak, the picture is familiar: frequent colds, sweating easily, sensitivity to drafts and weather change, tiredness, pale complexion. Spleen qi deficiency usually sits underneath, because defensive qi is built from what you digest. Where there is also night sweating and dryness, yin has been depleted by repeated illness.
Su Wen 3 states the principle this article rests on, and states it as a description of a state rather than a promise. Where the sages arranged yin and yang so that sinews and vessels were in harmony, bones and marrow solid, and qi and blood both following their usual course, then inner and outer are balanced in harmony, an evil cannot cause harm, the ears and eyes are clear, and the qi set-up is as usual. The interesting move is the order of it: the text does not describe fighting off an invasion, it describes a body in which the conditions for one are absent. That is the difference between treating each cold and paying attention to the gaps between them.
How the between-times work is done
The traditional emphasis is on the well periods, not the sick ones: strengthening treatment between infections, with moxibustion at specific points long used for building resistance, and herbal formulas from a family developed precisely for people who catch everything. During an acute infection the approach changes entirely — and mostly we tell you to rest, which people find less satisfying and more useful.
What the research does and does not show
The research base for this specific condition is limited — small trials, mixed quality. Treatment here rests on pattern-based clinical reasoning and long traditional use, offered as supportive care alongside your medical management rather than on the basis of established effect. We are careful here because immune claims attract overstatement. What we offer is a coherent traditional framework, applied in the well periods, alongside the measures with genuine evidence: sleep, nutrition, stress reduction, hand hygiene and vaccination where your GP recommends it.
How we handle the winter run of infections
The autumn appointments at Balmoral and Alexandra Hills are often exactly this — people who know what winter does to them, coming in before it starts. That timing is traditional and it is sensible: strengthening work belongs in the season before the one that troubles you, which is also when it fits comfortably around your life.
Practical resilience
Sleep is the single most evidence-backed immune measure and the first thing sacrificed — protect it. Eat enough protein and enough variety; restrictive eating undermines resistance. Manage stress load, which measurably affects susceptibility. Wash hands properly. Move regularly at moderate intensity, since heavy training temporarily lowers resistance. Discuss flu vaccination with your GP if you are in a group that benefits. And rest properly when you are actually sick rather than working through.
When frequent infection needs investigating
Unusually frequent, severe or persistent infections — especially with weight loss, night sweats, swollen glands or unusual organisms — need medical investigation, as immune deficiency has identifiable causes. Recurrent chest infections need imaging. Frequent infection in someone on immunosuppressive medication is a conversation with the prescribing specialist.
Individual responses vary, and assessment determines whether this approach suits your situation. Call (07) 3820 2887 or book online at our Balmoral or Alexandra Hills clinics.
Immunity questions we hear often
Should I have treatment when I am actually sick?
The traditional emphasis is the opposite — strengthening work happens between infections, when the system can use it. During an acute illness, rest does more than anything we would do, and we will say so.
Do Chinese herbs boost the immune system?
We would avoid that phrasing. The tradition works on building what it calls defensive qi through the digestive and respiratory systems, and formulas are prescribed to your pattern. It is a framework with long clinical use, not a proven immune enhancer.
When is the best time to start?
Autumn, before the season that troubles you. Strengthening work suits the well period, and starting in the middle of a bad winter is starting late.
References
- Unschuld PU, Tessenow H, translators. Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen: An Annotated Translation of Huang Di’s Inner Classic – Basic Questions. Volume I. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011. Chapter 3.
Written and clinically reviewed by Dr Francesco Pennisi
Registered Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist & Chinese Medicine Practitioner · Chinese Medicine Board of Australia (AHPRA) · AACMA Member
Dr Francesco brings more than 30 years of clinical experience to Results Acupuncture’s Balmoral and Alexandra Hills clinics, combining acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and related therapies.
