Inflammaging

Why We Dry Out as We Age — And What You Can Do About It

A look at why ageing causes dryness, stiffness, and slow healing—and how Traditional Chinese Medicine helps restore balance and comfort.

Why Do We 'Dry Out' as We Age?

One of the most common and frustrating signs of ageing is a sense of dryness—dry skin, dry eyes, stiff joints, and general discomfort in the body. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), this is understood as a natural decline in yin, the body’s cooling, nourishing, and moistening energy. But there’s a scientific explanation too.

As we age:

• The body produces less collagen and hyaluronic acid, which help keep skin supple and joints cushioned.

• Hormonal changes, especially during and after menopause, reduce the skin’s ability to retain oil and moisture.

• And importantly, low-grade chronic inflammation—what scientists call inflammaging—acts like internal heat, gradually evaporating moisture from tissues and slowing down repair processes.

This loss of internal hydration doesn’t just make us feel dry—it affects how our tissues function and recover. Here are common examples or three ways this shows up in daily life:

1. Stiff, Achy Spine and Joints

With age, the spine and joints naturally wear down, but inflammation and dehydration make things worse. Discs in the spine lose their bounce, and joint spaces narrow. This leads to stiffness, nerve pain, and difficulty moving freely.

How TCM helps: Herbal formulas and acupuncture are used to nourish fluids, support circulation, and reduce inflammation—helping ease pain and restore mobility, especially in the lower back and neck.

2. Dry, Itchy Skin or Rashes

Many older adults develop persistent skin itching, even without an obvious allergy or skin condition. The skin barrier becomes weaker, and dryness triggers irritation, redness, and a scratchy feeling that’s hard to soothe.

How TCM helps: In Chinese medicine, this is a sign of blood dryness or internal heat. Herbal medicine can help cool and moisturise the skin from within, and reduce the inflammation that makes it itch. Specific formulas have even been studied for their effects on chronic dermatitis.

3. Slow Healing and Chronic Wounds

Whether it’s a cut that won’t heal or a pressure sore that lingers, wound healing slows with age—especially when inflammation is high and circulation is poor. This can increase the risk of infection and further tissue breakdown.

How TCM helps: Chinese herbal medicine includes topical and internal treatments that have been shown to promote blood flow, reduce infection risk, and stimulate tissue regeneration—supporting the body’s natural healing process.

What You Can Do

You can’t stop ageing, but you can support your body’s ability to retain moisture, heal efficiently, and stay comfortable well into later life. In Chinese medicine, the goal is not just to treat symptoms, but to strengthen your foundation—what we call yin, qi, and blood—so you age more gently and feel more like yourself.

Ready to support your body as it ages?

If you're noticing dryness, pain, slow healing, or chronic skin issues, these may be early signs that your system needs nourishment—not just treatment.

Book an appointment or get in touch to learn how acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can help you hydrate from within, reduce inflammation, and age with more ease.

📍 On the Pulse Clinic, South County Dublin
📞 086 811 9534

Inflammaging: Chronic Inflammation, Tissue Breakdown, and the TCM Perspective

Inflammaging is more than a theory—it's increasingly recognised as a driver of degenerative and inflammatory changes in older patients (50 +). Here’s how Traditional Chinese Medicine interprets and addresses these changes using targeted, clinically applicable strategies.

Connective Tissue and Hydration Loss

Collagen turnover decreases with age, and chronic inflammation degrades extracellular matrix components, accelerating:

• Loss of joint lubrication (via reduced synovial fluid quality)

• Skin and mucosal dryness

• Decreased viscoelasticity of tendons and fascia

The progressive dehydration of connective tissue contributes to mechanical stiffness, fascial adhesions, and a heightened perception of bodily discomfort.

This decline in connective tissue quality doesn’t just affect joints—it underlies a broad range of age-related symptoms. Below are three common examples, among many, where chronic inflammation and tissue degeneration manifest in clinical practice:

Spinal Degeneration & Pain

Age-related inflammation accelerates intervertebral disc degeneration and facet joint arthropathy, leading to reduced hydration in discs and increased structural stress. This creates chronic back or neck pain, stiffness, and nerve sensitivity. In TCM, this pattern is seen as Bi syndrome affecting the spine—linked to qi and blood stagnationcombined with kidney deficiency.

• TCM Strategy: Herbal formulas like Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang and Shu Jing Huo Xue Tang are used to nourish kidney energy, move stagnation, and promote structural resilience.

• Clinically, these herbs may support anti-inflammatory effects, improve microcirculation, and reduce pain—offering non-opioid adjuncts for spinal degenerative conditions.

Itchy Dermatitis of Ageing

As skin thins with age, it becomes prone to irritant reactions, dryness, and low-level inflammation—presenting as persistent, itchy dermatitis. This may resemble eczema or xerosis, exacerbated by compromised barrier function and chronic inflammo-immune activity.

• Evidence: Multiple RCTs and meta‑analyses indicate that internally and externally applied TCM herbs are effective in reducing itching and dermatitis severityannallergy.org+5jintegrativederm.org+5frontiersin.org+5verywellhealth.comfrontiersin.org+1jintegrativederm.org+1.

• Formulas such as Xiao Feng San or Qing Re Chushi ointment have shown benefits in immune modulation, cytokine balancing, and improving skin barrier integrity.

Chronic Wounds and Sluggish Healing

Ageing skin and vascular compromise increase the risk of chronic wounds—such as venous leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers. Inflammaging disrupts normal wound phases: excess inflammation prolongs tissue breakdown and prevents proper healing.

• A comprehensive pharmacological review identified 24 botanical TCM drugs—including Centellae Herba, Aloe vera, and multi-herbal formulations—that show anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and pro-angiogenicactivity in both preclinical and clinical wound modelsverywellhealth.compmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+1frontiersin.org+1.

• These herbs support accelerated fibroblast proliferation, angiogenesis, and collagen synthesis, making them excellent adjuncts in wound management protocols.

Clinical Relevance for Healthcare Professionals:

By integrating TCM herbs into care plans for eample; spine degeneration, chronic itch, or non-healing wounds, we harness multifaceted anti-inflammatory, circulatory, and regenerative actions that align biologically with known ageing mechanisms. These are well-supported by both pharmacological and clinical data—offering credible, synergistic options in integrative medicine practice.

Inflammation and Ageing Part 1

Inspired by recurring conversations in my clinical practice.

Most people understand acute inflammation—like swelling after an injury—but fewer are aware of the subtle, chronic inflammation that can quietly affect the gut, brain, bladder, and other organs, often without obvious or often with non-specific symptoms like fatigue, bloating, or brain fog

Why We Feel Stiffer, Slower, and More Tired Over Time

As we get older, it’s common to notice subtle shifts in how our bodies feel—stiff joints in the morning, more aches after activity, drier skin, longer recovery times, and a gradual decline in energy. While these changes may seem like an inevitable part of ageing, a key factor behind many of them is a process known as inflammaging.

Inflammaging is the term used to describe the low-grade, chronic inflammation that builds in the body over time. It’s not the kind of inflammation you get from a sprained ankle or a sore throat—those are examples of acute inflammation, a short-term, beneficial response that helps the body heal. Inflammaging, by contrast, is silent and persistent. It acts like a low-level internal “fire” that doesn’t shut off, gradually affecting tissues, organs, and energy systems.

What Happens to the Immune System as We Age?

Think of your immune system as an orchestra. When we’re young, it plays in tune—responding quickly to infections, clearing out damaged cells, and resolving inflammation when its job is done. As we age, however, that orchestration becomes less precise.

• The immune system becomes less accurate, and sometimes begins to attack the body’s own tissues (a risk factor for autoimmune conditions).

• It grows less efficient, making us slower to recover from infections, injuries, or surgery.

• And most importantly, it becomes less able to switch off inflammation once it’s no longer needed.

This creates a background state of chronic low-level inflammation—not enough to cause fever or obvious symptoms, but enough to interfere with tissue repair, immune regulation, and overall vitality.

Inflammaging and the Ageing Patient

A Clinical Framework with Traditional Chinese Medicine Insights (part 1)

Making logical sense, for healthcare professionals, to understand where Traditional Chines Medicine meets Western Medicine.

In recent years, the concept of inflammaging—chronic, low-grade inflammation that increases with age—has gained traction in the biomedical literature as a key driver of functional decline. From musculoskeletal stiffness to cardiovascular inefficiency and fatigue, inflammaging presents a unifying explanation for many common ageing-related symptoms.

What’s notable is that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has addressed these patterns for centuries, albeit through a different lens. TCM has long focused on preserving vitality (jing), supporting organ harmony (maintaining systemic homeostasis), and delaying physiological ageing. Many of its interventions—particularly acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine—appear to modulate inflammatory pathways and offer practical tools for managing inflammaging in clinical settings.

1. Immune Dysregulation and Chronic Inflammation

In ageing, the immune system becomes both less responsive and more inflammatory—a phenomenon known as immunosenescence. There’s reduced T-cell diversity, impaired resolution of inflammation, and a baseline elevation in pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-6, CRP, and TNF-α.

TCM Perspective and Application:

• Chinese medicine conceptualises this as a decline in Kidney Jing and weakening of the Spleen and Lung qi, leading to internal damp-heat or deficiency-heat patterns.

• Chinese herbal medicine excels in addressing immune dysregulation. Classic formulas such as Yu Ping Feng San(Jade Windscreen) support barrier immunity, while others like Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan address heat from deficiency—a common pattern in postmenopausal inflammation.

• Acupuncture can modulate inflammatory mediators and rebalance autonomic tone, supporting immune regulation via the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis.

Wang, Yuli, Sun, Ningyang, Luo, Yingbin, Fang, Zhihong, Fang, Yuan, Tian, Jianhui, Yu, Yongchun, Wu, Jianchun, Li, Yan, Yu-Ping-Feng Formula Exerts Antilung Cancer Effects by Remodeling the Tumor Microenvironment through Regulating Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2021, 6624461, 16 pages, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6624461

Li N, Guo Y, Gong Y, Zhang Y, Fan W, Yao K, Chen Z, Dou B, Lin X, Chen B, Chen Z, Xu Z, Lyu Z. The Anti-Inflammatory Actions and Mechanisms of Acupuncture from Acupoint to Target Organs via Neuro-Immune Regulation. J Inflamm Res. 2021 Dec 21;14:7191-7224. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S341581. PMID: 34992414; PMCID: PMC8710088.

#acupunctureforageinginDublin #immunesupportover50sIreland #naturaltreatments #chronicinflammation, #Inflammagingandvitality #acupuncturforimmunesystem #healthyageingIreland

Why Traditional Chinese Medicine Has Always Been About Healthy Aging—Not Just Longevity

When people think about longevity, they often focus on the number of years lived. But in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the emphasis has always been on how those years are lived.

TCM doesn’t chase anti-aging trends. Instead, it offers a steady, well-established system for maintaining energy, preventing decline, and supporting the body’s natural ability to adapt with age. The goal isn’t to live forever—it’s to live well, for as long as possible.

Aging Through the TCM Lens

In clinical practice, we often see people who want to stay mobile, clear-minded, and independent. TCM helps achieve that by addressing imbalances early—long before they become chronic illness or functional decline.

Tools like:

• Acupuncture to regulate the nervous system, support circulation, and manage pain

• Chinese herbal medicine to nourish organs and strengthen digestion, sleep, immunity, and mental clarity

• Movement practices like tai chi or qi gong to build strength, coordination, and internal balance

• Pulse diagnosis and individualised assessment to guide personalised treatment

All of these work together to help the body retain vitality and prevent the kind of wear-and-tear that accelerates aging.

What Modern Science Is Starting to Show

Interestingly, many of the foundations of TCM—strong digestion, good sleep, mental calm, routine, and moderate physical activity—are now being echoed in the field of geroscience.

This emerging area of research looks at how to slow the biological processes of aging, focusing on inflammation, mitochondrial function, hormonal balance, and immune resilience. TCM has addressed these systems for thousands of years—using a different language, but with the same aim: keeping the person strong, adaptive, and functional.

Aging With Purpose, Not Just Years

The ultimate goal in TCM is not just to extend life—it’s to improve the experience of living. That means reducing pain, improving mobility, protecting vision and cognition, and supporting people to feel like themselves again, even as their bodies change.

TCM doesn’t promise miracles. But it does offer a system for supporting resilience in the face of aging—something all of us can benefit from.

On the Pulse Clinic, South County Dublin
Supporting healthy aging through acupuncture, laser therapy, herbal medicine, and nutrition.
📞 086 811 9534 | 📍For people 50+ who want to stay well, active, and independent.

🔬 Research Spotlight

A 2021 randomized controlled trial using the classic formula Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi Tang in older adults with sarcopenia found significant reductions in IL-6 and TNF-α, key markers of chronic inflammation associated with aging. This study reinforces TCM’s role in addressing the inflammatory processes that contribute to functional decline in later life.

Citation: Effect of Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi Tang on Inflammatory Cytokines in Elderly Patients with Sarcopenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2021.

Chinese Herbal Medicine and Fatigue – A Clinical Perspective

Many Cients come to the clinic struggling with fatigue

— whether it's lingering after a viral illness, related to burnout, or due to disrupted sleep and digestion. While acupuncture regulates the nervous system and circulation, Chinese herbal medicine plays a critical role in helping the body restore function over time.

Why Chinese Herbal Medicine?

Chinese herbal formulas are taken daily, providing steady support to the body’s internal systems. While acupuncture acts as a signal to stimulate change, herbs contribute by continuously supporting:

• Energy production and metabolism

• Immune system regulation

• Hormonal balance

• Digestive and sleep function

Herbs are not a quick fix — they are a structured form of internal medicine, used for centuries in clinical settings to address the underlying mechanisms contributing to fatigue. I offer a 20 week program.

Individualised Prescriptions – Guided by Pulse

Each herbal formula is tailored using a diagnostic system called Medical Pulse Diagnosis (MPD), developed by my mentor, Bob Doane. This system allows me to assess how the organs are functioning in real time and modify treatment accordingly.

Prescriptions are not one-size-fits-all. They change as your condition improves — giving your body exactly what it needs, at the right time.

What to Expect

Most CLients begin to notice improvements within the first 3–10 days, including:

• Improved sleep quality

• More stable energy

• Better digestion

• Reduced physical tension or inflammation

Why Combine Herbs and Acupuncture?

Used together, herbs and acupuncture provide both regulation and repair.
As Bob Doane says:
“Acupuncture is the icing. Herbs are the cake.”

My Background

I have completed three clinical internships with Bob Doane and continue weekly training through his virtual mentorship programme. I am currently the only practitioner in Ireland with this level of direct training in his pulse-guided herbal system.

Zhang Y, Jin F, Wei X, Jin Q, Xie J, Pan Y and Shen W (2022) Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front. Pharmacol. 13:958005. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.958005

Interested in Herbal Medicine?

If you’re dealing with fatigue, stress, or recovery after illness, a personalised herbal plan may provide the support you need. Consultations include pulse diagnosis and regular review to ensure your formula matches your current presentation.

👉 for booking click here

Fatigue impacts women and men…

Reclaiming Your Health: It's Time to Trust Your Body Again

Too often, a serious diagnosis, a loss, or a health scare can shake us to our core. We start to feel disconnected from our own body—as though it’s working against us. Fear takes over. Motivation disappears. And we start believing the story that there’s nothing we can do.

But that’s not the truth.

You can feel better.
You can reconnect with your body.
You can take back your power.

The key lies in recognising that health isn’t just about medication or procedures. It's also about how you sleep, how you digest food, how you feel when you wake up in the morning. It’s about pain levels, energy, confidence, mood. And all of these are signals from your body—one that is still working hard to protect you.

Western medicine has its strengths, particularly in emergencies and diagnostics. But it doesn’t always offer a roadmap for recovery, or for quality of life. That’s where Chinese Medicine excels.

Rooted in thousands of years of clinical observation, Chinese Medicine sees you as a whole person—not just a list of symptoms. It works alongside conventional care to restore energy, improve circulation, reduce pain, calm anxiety, and support digestion, sleep, and immunity.

Many people are surprised to learn that Chinese Herbal Medicine is a core part of this system—and acts faster than acupuncture alone for a chronic illness. Herbs are selected with precision to match your specific patterns and needs. They can calm inflammation, rebuild strength, shift stagnation (issues with blood flow) , and nourish what has been worn down over time.

As we grow older, our body has worked through decades of stress, illness, grief, and physical wear. Chinese Herbal Medicine recognises this accumulated toll and offers significant support to the systems that have been quietly holding us together. It’s not about masking symptoms—it’s about real restoration.

When herbs and acupuncture are used together, they don't compete—they enhance each other. The result is often faster, more lasting change.

And more than that: they help you feel like yourself again.

This isn’t about false hope. It’s about real, practical support that can make a meaningful difference. And it’s about knowing there are still tools, options, and systems of care that honour your body’s wisdom.

If you’re over 50 and feeling like you’ve lost your way with your health, I want you to know:
There is help. There is healing.
And it’s never too late to feel better in your body again.

A notable clinical study on Chinese Herbal Medicine and heart health:
Qiliqiangxin improves outcomes in heart failure patients – Nature Medicine, 2024

#ChineseMedicine #HealthyAging #Over50sHealth #IntegrativeMedicine #AcupunctureAndHerbs #HerbalMedicineWorks #HeartHealthNaturally #TakeBackYourPower #MidlifeWellness #HolisticHealing #BodyWisdom #QualityOfLifeMatters #EmpoweredHealth

Acupuncture Proven Effective for Chronic Pain: What the Research Says

If you're living with chronic pain and looking for a safer, more natural treatment option, you're not alone. A groundbreaking international study has confirmed what many already experience firsthand: acupuncture works - and its benefits go well beyond placebo.

A major study published in The Journal of Pain in 2018 by Vickers et al. reviewed data from 17,922 patients across 39 clinical trials. It concluded that acupuncture is significantly more effective than both standard medical care and sham (placebo) acupuncture for chronic pain.

Conditions studied include:
- Back and neck pain
- Osteoarthritis (especially knee)
- Migraines and tension-type headaches - Shoulder pain

The improvements were sustained over time, making acupuncture a powerful long-term strategy for pain management.

Acupuncture works by stimulating specific points on the body, improving circulation, and releasing natural pain-relieving chemicals. At On the Pulse Clinic, we also offer laser acupuncture - a gentle, needle-free option ideal for sensitive patients.

The Vickers study, led by researchers at Harvard, Oxford, and Memorial Sloan Kettering, confirms what practitioners and patients have known: acupuncture is a serious tool for chronic pain relief.

Citation:

Vickers AJ et al. Acupuncture for chronic pain: Update of an individual patient data meta-analysis. J Pain. 2018;19(5):455-474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2017.11.005

Contact:
On the Pulse Clinic, South County Dublin Phone: 086 811 9534
Email: sineadd@onthepulse.clinic
Web: www.onthepulse.clinic

Always Start with Nutrition

I talk about nutrition with every person that comes to see me. I give hints and tips if as a client you don’t wish to do a consultation. For everyone else I provide a handout and explanations for why I recommend the dietary changes I recommend, in other words the science behind it. So what’s involved…

Form new habits with support

Really simple to follow plan tailored to your needs

No restrictions in choices when you socialise

No special ingredients from special shops needed

No specialist supermarket isles needed

Find out if you actually really have an intolerance!

Heal your gut

Reduce Inflammation

Increase energy levels

Balance stress hormones

Build relaxing hormones

Get rid of cravings

Heal your body

Nourish your body

There are no guarantees in life BUT…

….You will never know if you don’t give it a go.

You will definitely never give it a go if you don’t know something exists that carries possibility. I’m in Denmark right now, trying something, I did not know existed until June 2023. I am in a quaint rural town, on my own, without a single word of Danish. I’m here with the full knowledge that it may not work, for me. ‘Work’ being such a two dimensional perspective. I am also here in the full knowledge, that it may be life changing.

I’m telling you this, because I think people with health challenges, should never limit themselves. I think there is a lot of emotive terminology used when people try things outside of what is comfortable for some healthcare professionals. I often meet people who fully believe that Western Medicine is the only solution and that it always works. How shocking it is, when as inevitably happens as people age, or they become unwell earlier in life, to discover how limited Western Medicine can be. For acute health issues Western Medicine can be phenomenal and literally life saving.

Labelling of people with a chronic disease as vulnerable really irritates me. It is incredibly disempowering and displays such a level of arrogance by the labellers! Everybody is vulnerable at times, it doesn’t make you weak, it doesn’t make you stupid, it simply makes you human.

Get curious. Don’t limit yourself. You might not find the solution you are looking for but you will open up your world. Life is amazing and as long as you are breathing you get to have a lived human experience.

You will never give it a go if you live in fear and respond to life in fight, flight or freeze mode.

The world is not out to get you unless you believe it is. In that headspace you will fight with your own shadow! Skepticism reigns here. Educate yourself, ask questions of yourself and your reactions. We all make stupid decisions at times. This does not mean you are stupid. Ask more questions. Don’t judge the expert in front of you, even the Godsperts! Occasionally they do not realise they themselves are human and therefore they are not perfect. Find another expert.

Running away, avoiding discomfort, getting real busy being busy. Looking after everyone else first is a classic and women are particularly expert at this. What if it makes me worse or what if it doesn’t work. Most scary of all what if it does! RUN, RUN, RUN…

If I just stay here in my fear, and I’m polite and smiley and accepting. Nobody around me gets upset or uneasy. Sur isn’t life grand (eye-roll here please). Or I joke about my issues before anybody else does then I am fine with this, right . Eh no no no no nooo! I fully accept this quality, well 30% 60% 75% quality of life. I’ve just about reached a comfort level in this level of discomfort. If I choose to make changes I might fall apart. In case that is you, take it from someone who knows, you won’t. I’m fitting right in socially and culturally so WHY would I move from this headspace? It’s not that bad really, is it? If you are questioning it then you already know your answer.

You get to choose your direction. If it doesn’t work you can choose another.