Now the summer is over and autumn is here, allergies are back. You start hearing people sneeze and cough around you. Ling here is going to explain to you exactly what is allergies and how to treat your allergy symptoms.
Allergies are exaggerated immune responses to substances that are not generally considered harmful to your body. So why is your immune system overreacting? Some people due to genetics, others are due to stress, change of weather that compromise your immune system. Some allergic conditions such as allergic rhinitis, hay fever, food allergies may exhibit severe allergic symptoms that can be even life threatening.
So how can we keep are immune system in good condition and control the allergic symptoms? Well, in addition to regular exercise, eating healthy, meditation to keep your immune system health, acupuncture can also naturally balance your immune system.
In a German study published in the journal Allergy, 52 people with hay fever received acupuncture (once a week) and a Chinese herbal tea designed to address allergic symptoms (three times a day) or sham acupuncture and a regular herbal tea. After six weeks, people who received the acupuncture and herbal treatment noticed an 85 percent improvement on a "global assessment of change" scale compared to 40 percent in the control group. They also noticed a significant improvement in the quality of life questionnaire.
In another study, 72 children with hay fever received either acupuncture (twice a week) or sham acupuncture. After eight weeks, the real acupuncture was more effective at improving symptoms and was associated with more symptom-free days compared to sham acupuncture.
Chinese herbal remedies are extremely effective at treating allergies as well. Now please check with a certified traditional chinese herbalist to see which herbs are right for you. Since there are different herbal remedies for the different body constitutions and various types of allergies.
For instance, Butterbur (款冬）is one of the herbs great for migraines, stomaches, allergies, cough, but it’s also extremely toxic if you don’t extract the toxic chemical pyrrolizidine alkaloid out from the plant then it could cause liver damage and other side effects. As a traditional chinese doctor/ herbalist, we go through extensive training about the herbs and herb combinations and dosage. We usually prescribe a moderate dose of this herb with other herbs depending on the body constitution of the patient. Since Butterbur is part of ragweed family, patient who are allergic to ragweed, daisy, marigold and/or chrysanthemum should avoid butterbur.
Nettle is another herb that has effect in reducing inflammation and relieve allergy symptoms such as sneezing, itchiness, nasal congestion.
For certain patients their immune system is out of balance because there body is lacking certain nutrients, therefore dietary supplements are also necessary. For instance food high in Carotenoids such as carrots, apricot, sweet potatoes, squash, spinach , kale can help keep airways free of inflammation and maintain healthty immune system. Omega 3 and other essential fatty acids can also reduce the production of inflammatory chemicals in the body, reduce the flare up of hay fever and other allergies.
If you have allergies and suffering from allergy symptoms, contact Ling for your complementary health assessment or book in for your first treatment to start relieving your allergy.