Seasonal Allergies
To The Point
Newsletter from the Traditional Chinese Medicine & Yoga Office of Hanorah Sullivan Houndalas
Seasonal Allergies
Speak with your Medical Doctor for approval before starting any new health regimen or taking any supplements as there may be side effects with medications or other supplements you are taking. There may also cautions or contraindications for any underlying health issues or illnesses.
What are allergies? Well, the dictionary describes it as a damaging immune response by the body to a substance, especially pollen, fur, a particular food, or dust, to which it has become hypersensitive. We know there are many type of allergies. In this edition of “To The Point” I want to talk about seasonal allergies. However, any type of allergy in Traditional Chinese Medicine is a deficiency in the immune system or what we call Wei Qi XU. It’s not that Chinese Medicine doesn’t see the significance of understanding what the person is allergic to. Its’ that we look at treating the Root along with the Branch. This would mean treating the cause as well as the symptom. The Wei Qi traverses along the outside of the skin and orifices of the body. When it is strong no pathogen can enter it, not a virus, a bacteria or fungi.
The Wei Qi is ruled by the Lung System. The reason I call the Lung a system is because it is more than the physical lungs we think of in Western Anatomy. It also includes the lung meridians, also called channels. These are pathways that the Qi of the lung follows, like a flowing river or a highway. It crosses paths or intersects with other meridians or rivers thus influencing them and being influenced by them. It also dips more internal at times, just as a river can flow underground. The lung system has many functions including cultivating and producing strong Wei Qi which simply put is our immunity.
People who suffer from seasonal allergies don’t always understand the importance of getting ahead of them. That means starting to seek regular treatment via acupuncture and herbs 4 to 6 weeks prior to allergy season. For some that is spring and summer as many people react to pollens during these times.
Herbs-
In Chinese Medicine our herbal pharmacopeia has curative functions, protective functions and promoting functions. Medicine that actually promotes radiant health? This is new for the Western mind. It involves building the body a more robust health system. We also have many categories of herbs for treating more specific signs and symptoms. Very few herbs make it into the highest category of tonics. Astragalus or Huang Qi as it is known in the Chinese pinyin is one of the few herbs we will use alone as well as in a formula. Taking small doses of this herb daily will help to build the persons immunity or protective Wei Qi. Single herbs like this can come dried or in a tincture, but my favorite way to take this herb is in a formula like the one listed below.
Chinese Herbal Formula-
Yu Ping Feng San. This is a preventative formula every house should have. It contains astragalus and other herbs combined to keep the body’s immune system strong to fight allergies, cold and flu signs and symptoms. I and my family take this formula at a low dose daily. At the first onset of a possible allergy, cold or flu, we increase the dose. It is also a great formula to take when traveling. My favorite way to take Chinese formulas is when the herbs are boiled and dried to a powder or granule and placed in a capsule for modern convenience. However, you can have the dehydrated herbs in a powder that you reconstitute in hot water to drink as a tea. Of course the traditional way of cooking of the herbal formula into a tea still exists, but it takes time and must be done correctly to get the proper results. This formula is available at my office. Existing Clients may email me for purchase and pick up at my office or have this herbal formula mailed directly to them. Other formulas for specific reactions such as sore throat, itchy watery eyes or cough are also available.
Supplement-
Vitamin C- You may not have a cold or flu, but your body's immunity still needs boosting. Try taking 1000 to 2000 mg of a buffered vitamin C daily during allergy season. Vitamin C if not buffered can be difficult on the digestion and not good for the stomach lining. Vitamin C is best when taken with food. Consider 500 mg three times daily with meals.
Tips for Protecting the Wei Qi -
Scarf- Wear a scarf to protect the back of the neck and upper shoulder area, as well as face, especially the eyes, nose and mouth and ears from wind. That may sound funny, but the wind is a venue for allergens to travel into the body. When it does so we call it Evil Wind Qi. It may seem obvious that pathogens enter the eyes, ears, nose and mouth, but there is also an energetic opening on the back of the neck that is vulnerable. Having a scarf or a jacket handy is a good thing especially when our bodies are making quick temperature regulations going from heating to air conditioning and indoors to outdoors. Honey-Raw local honey is another great tip. Take a table spoon full of raw unfiltered honey once a day. The local honey will have the pollens in it from your area and it is a way to slowly build immunity to your local pollens. Neti Pot- Start using a Neti pot. This yogic technique from India and Southern Asia is a wonderful tool to clear the nasal passages from dust, pollen, bacteria and airborne pollutants. See this website for more details on how to properly prepare and use a neti pot. https://www.mylifestages.org/health/allergies/how_to_neti.page If you need a visual aid watch this video. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/watch?v=EDSlUuAOnN0. Washing Hands- Many people use room filters to help keep the allergens out of the air in their home or work place, but it doesn’t take them off the surface of furniture and objects, so be sure to wash your hands with a mild soap before eating or touching your head or face.
Practicing Qi-Gong (mild energy exercises) for the lung system regularly is very helpful and easy to do. Learning to administer self-acupressure (using your hands to mildly press on acu-points) for allergies is also a great self-care method. Yoga also has poses and breaths that promote optimal lung capacity. If you are interested in these then request that we go over them at your next acupuncture session and we will schedule in some time for you to learn them, and you can practice self-healing and radiant health at home.
Healthfully Yours,
Nora Sullivan-Houndalas
Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Kundalini Yoga and Meditation Teacher
