Allergies

With all the glories of the upcoming Spring months, so many people dread it sadly because of allergy season.  You know, the sneezing, coughing, runny nose, teary red eyes, your head foggy and full of pressure – I’ll stop there.  Oriental Medicine looks much deeper for the cause of all of these symptoms.  The symptoms are from an invasion of Wind Cold into the Lung channel of the nose (much different that a Western point of view).  This invasion results in all of the symptoms above.  You can treat the symptoms very effectively with acupuncture and herbs, however, to get to a place of deeper harmony in the body, and more lasting results, you need to look to the roots or cause as well.

Chronic allergic rhinitis (or allergies), can start in childhood or develop as one grows older.  Some people come to me who have stated that they never had allergies, and after living in a particular area, they got worse every year.  In Oriental Medicine, allergies are due to a weakness in the Lung and Kidney Wei Qi – or the Defensive Qi of the body.  It does pretty much what it sounds like – defends the body from what we call the Six Evils or Pathogenic Factors  – what you more easily understand as “bugs.”  If you have a weakness in this qi, you are more susceptible to colds, flus, and allergies.  When treating someone with allergies, it is best to start before the “active” season to treat the root with tonifying herbs and acupuncture points.  However, if you finds yourself in the crux of the season and miserable, before you grab that antihistamine, consider acupuncture and herbs for treatment.  They can help alleviate symptoms without the unpleasant side effects (dizzyness, dryness, fatigue, GI disturbances).   It looks poetically at what is happening (Wind Cold invasion) and works at opening the nasal passages, clearing the wind, and reduce nasal congestion – doesn’t that sound like more fun! (OK – I know – well it is fun to me! – and will be for you if you have any of those things going on!)

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