Spring is quickly becoming apparent, and is in fact, a little earlier than usual here in New England. With that, many of us will begin to experience hay fever which is inflammation of the mucous membrane lining of our nasal passages, our sinuses, eyes or even our skin. The usual prescription and over the counter medications for allergies are created to treat the symptoms of allergies and have little to no effect on helping our bodies change the REASON we are responding to seasonal allergens.
Traditional Chinese medicine, also known as TCM, has a way of identifying the root patterns of reactivity to allergens and getting to the bottom of the problem with effective solutions both in the form of acupuncture, cupping, guasha and Chinese Herbal formulas. (You can learn about these on my website)
Many years ago, when I was a student on a small budget in California studying for my master’s degree in TCM, I roomed in a house that had seven cats. Up to that point in my life, I’d barely experienced any allergies. My symptoms were pervasive and causing a continuously stuffy nose and nasal itching which kept me from sleeping. It was terrible to cope with when I had to not only continue working as a nurse, but also to keep up my TCM studies.
So why does hay fever happen?
Chinese medicine looks at it from two angles. The first is the ‘allergens’ themselves which, in TCM, are called ‘external wind’. The second has to do with our body’s systemic internal patterns, which can be a combination of excessive or deficient patters that allow the body to overreact to allergens. Most predominantly it is a deficiency of the outer defense aspect of our immune system, which TCM calls our ‘wei Qi.
How does TCM treat allergens, is there a cure?
A study from 2017 has shown that a series of acupuncture treatments can actually solve allergic rhinitis, not only for the season but also for years to come. For some, even just a few treatments can make a huge difference. Chinese formulas designed to address both the symptoms and the root of reactivity can be incredibly helpful and are without the side effects that medications have.
In my case, I was trading a series of ‘facial rejuvenation’ acupuncture treatments with a mentor of mine at the time of my excessive cat exposure, which involved facial acupuncture points. My allergic rhinitis disappeared for years with those treatments.
This is a very brief summary about TCM and hay fever, so if you’d like to know more or have any questions, please feel free to contact us through our website at NianticAcupuncture.com.