Spring time is the right time... for controlling your allergies!

Seasonal allergies are the bane of springtime for many people. As the rest of us feel light as clouds, floating on the euphoria of longer days and warmth as winter wanes, the allergic among us are locked inside, fearful of the clouds of pollen waiting to attack them. They sneeze and sniff their way through the beauty of spring, peering about through watering eyes, waiting for it all to go away.

Despite the miraculous transformations that the actors in the commercials go through, over the counter treatments for allergies are often as bad as the disease, leaving you with a dry nose, but either comatose from antihistamines, or with a pounding heart and shaking hands from 'non-drowsy' formulations.

So, what can Chinese medicine do for you, poor woeful allergy sufferer?

Lots, according to studies. A controlled 2004 study using acupuncture and herbs, concluded:

"We could show that this treatment was efficacious in improving global severity rating and in affecting disease-related quality of life parameters after 6 weeks of treatment when compared with sham needling plus a non-specific herbal formulation" (Source)

What exactly does that mean? It means after 6 weeks, people getting real acupuncture and herbs felt better than those getting the placebo versions. There are dozens of other studies showing the same things. Other findings involve testing the nasal secretions of allergy sufferers (great job!) . That study revealed that the secretions of patients after receiving acupuncture treatment had no or lower quantities of eosinophils, a blood cell related to allergic response that is high in those suffering from allergies. (Source)

So come in for acupuncture treatment and herbs! The best results occur if you come in BEFORE allergy season, preferably at least 6 weeks. But of course, symptom relief can still be had if you missed the window. Once your symptoms abate, your practitioner will use acupuncture and herbs (and diet and lifestyle changes) to build up your system so that next season you'll feel great, pollen or no pollen.

There are some things you can do at home to reduce your allergy woes. Remember where I mentioned 'diet and lifestyle' up above? Like other holistic modalities, Chinese medicine feels great and works because you, the patient,are a participant in your own treatment and healing. Of course, to be a participant, you have to participate!

1. Diet
Common stimulants of allergic symptoms include dairy, sugar and wheat, especially white flour products like pastries, bread and pasta. Cutting down or eliminating these items will usually make you feel better right away. I tell patients to just try a week without one of them. If you notice a difference, then you know what you have to do!

2. Sleep
Are you getting enough sleep? Most people don't. Cutting corners on sleep sends your system into emergency mode, and that stimulates your already hyperactive immune system. Our society trains us to think of sleep as a waste of time, but we literally can't live without it. If you are getting less than 6 hours a night, something has to give.

3. Air quality
Definitely be active in your community to advocate for clean air laws, greater public transportation options and slashing industrial emissions. All these things contribute greatly to rates of respiratory disease of all kinds, including allergies. On the home front, trade in your chemical cleaners, detergents and sprays for nontoxic, fragrance free versions. Or make your own! Nothing cleans as well and safely as baking soda and vinegar (and elbow grease, but then you'll get some exercise too!)

Breathe easy with Chinese medicine and you'll be able to enjoy those spring flowers!

What? Antibiotics don't work for sinus infections?

That's right folks. The results of a new survey of millions of doctor visits show that most people receive antibiotics for sinus infections, which not only don't help most cases, but actually make things worse by creating antibiotic resistant bacteria. Read more about the study here.

Sinus pain, congestion, pressure and infections are something I see in the clinic all the time. Patients who suffer regularly come in begging for a few needles in the face:" give me the cat whiskers!" Acupuncture certainly gives rapid relief to the acute pain of a sinus headache and pressure. But what can one do in the long term to ease the often debilitating symptoms?

1. Regular acupuncture. No surprise that I am recommending this! But aside from relieving the acute stage, regular treatments can keep your immune system strong and your system at its best. Your Chinese Medicine practitioner can also provide herbal formulas for both acute and chronic stages.

2. Limit dairy foods, cold and raw foods and sugar. These all create 'damp' in the body, the pathogenic agent associated with phlegm, mucous and stagnation: recipe for congestion and pain. Other people find specific foods such as wheat sometimes aggravate their symptoms.

3. Sinus flushing. Even the staid voice of Western medicine is beginning to see the incredible power of this ancient Ayurvedic technique. Dr. Don Leopold, chair of the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Department of Otolaryngology who worked on the sinus survey I mention above, suggests it as an alternative to antibiotics: one that actually works. A doctor might recommend something fancy in a package, but I send my patients to the healthfood store to buy a neti pot. The idea might take some getting used to, but if you have suffered with sinus problems and especially the toll chronic infections take on your life, you will get over it when you notice you have gone weeks, and then months, without an infection.

Tomorrow is the vernal equinox. Celebrate spring without fear of pollen: Breathe easy with the wisdom of Chinese medicine!

Kirsten