If you live in Atlanta like we do, you may dread the coming of spring more and more each year as pollen counts continue to rise. There are myriad things we can be allergic to. An allergy is an acquired hypersensitivity to a substance that does not normally cause a bodily reaction. The allergen may be pollen, smog, dust, certain chemicals in the air, chlorine, or food substances--all of which sometimes elicit a violent bodily response. This blog will focus mostly on seasonal allergies.

Symptoms

Seasonal allergies have many symptoms, but the condition is characterized by nasal congestion, tearing, sneezing, wheezing, coughing, itching, skin rash eruptions, dizziness and nausea. These symptoms can have a range of levels from mild to really debilitating.

The TCM perspective

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), there are several causes for allergies. At the Point of Health, we do four diagnostic exams to determine the specific cause(s) of your allergies. However, there are certain unusual suspects that cause allergies. In this blog, we will focus on wind cold in the lung channel.

The lungs open to the nose and play a large part in our immune system. If our immune system is not working well, when we breathe in allergens like pollen or dust, our immune system perceives the pollen or dust as a foreign invader. This causes the immune system to go into hyperdrive. One way the immune system tries to stop the foreign invader is by creating a lot of mucus. Mucus creates a barrier that protects the outside world from breaching the internal world. That is why people experience watery eyes and stuffy or runny noses.

Some of the symptoms of wind cold in the lung channel are:

• Fever & chills with chills predominating

• Body ache

• Stuffy nose with clear runny mucus

• Sneezing

• Scratchy throat

• Lack of sweat

• Possibly a headache

What we do

At the Point of Health, we find the root cause of your symptoms and treat it aggressively with the tried-and-true methods of acupuncture, herbs, essential oils, lifestyle changes and folk remedies. We cultivate all of these things to come up with a specific plan for you that will help to bring your body into balance and boost your immune system.

In the meantime, here are a few things you can start doing at home to help alleviate your seasonal allergy symptoms:

• Nutrition

• Eliminate intake of dairy because it creates dampness and increase mucus production

• Make sure your diet has a good amount of vitamin A and C. Vitamin A is essential for healthy mucus lining of the respiratory tract. Vitamin C prevents and treats infections

• Avoid raw food and cold food and beverages

• Avoid greasy or fried foods as they create dampness and phlegm

• Avoid wheat, citrus fruits, chocolate, shellfish, dairy products, eggs, potatoes, polluted air and constipation

• Essential oil

• Blend two drops of lavender oil, lemon oil and peppermint oil in 5 mL of fractionated coconut oil and apply a small amount on the temples, under the nose and on the bottom of the feet in the morning and the evening during allergy season
  

• Folk remedy

• Drink beet top tea as a water source

• Drink ginger tea to induce sweating

If you are suffering from seasonal allergies, are experiencing some of the symptoms here, or if you have more questions, please reach out. We would love to join you in your health care and wellness journey. Schedule your first appointment today!