Managing Seasonal Allergies: Lifestyle, Classical Chinese Medicine, & Western Herbal Approaches!
Happy Spring! Or to the long-suffering seasonal allergy-havers of ‘Victoria’: our condolences! In Chinese metaphysics the astrological start of the yearly calendar begins with Spring, which starts in early February every year according to the luni-solar calendar followed by practitioners of classical Chinese medicine. The shift in seasons described in the luni-solar calendar lines up well with the relatively early onset of Spring we experience in our little temperate island paradise.
Seasonal allergies – or allergic rhinitis – involves the inflammation of the mucous membranes in response to an elevated immune reaction to non-hazardous stimulus such as pollen, dust, mold spores, animal dander, and some commercial- or industrial chemical particles. Exposure to allergens will cause chemical changes in the body that result in sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, swelling and inflammation of the nasal passages, and an increase in mucus production. As most sufferers know, anti-histamines are the treatment of choice for most medical doctors, which can cause a variety of side effects including drowsiness, dry mouth & eyes, nosebleeds, etc.
In Chinese Medicine seasonal allergies are understood as an invasion of external pathogens from the environment – usually identified as wind, heat, cold, damp, and dryness – that we can see as analogous to environmental allergens. Allergic reaction would be referred to as wind (from the environment, changing quickly, itching) and heat (red, swollen, yellow mucus) pathogens. The upper respiratory symptoms of allergic rhinitis indicate that this wind-heat pathogen is affecting our lungs, head and respiratory tract. Therefore to alleviate allergy symptoms we recommend to utilize agents that expel wind and cool down the heat.
Our intention is to provide some accessible practical traditional strategies to reduce, manage, and more importantly PREVENT these unpleasant symptoms before the onset of allergy season!
Lifestyle Modifications
Often times in holistic health care the most effective intervention is one that you have all the control over and is fully integrated into your daily life. Below are some practices to easily and inexpensively incorporate into your life while allergy season is in full force:
Western Herbal Approaches
There are three areas where plants can be of great assistance with spring/seasonal allergies: anti-allergic herbs, anti-catarrhal herbs, and hepatoprotective herbs (liver support). Here are some to get to know! Or come chat at the Green Muse Herbs apothecary if you’d like help making a blend. They are open Tuesday – Saturday, 11am – 6pm, if you’d like to explore this further!
Anti-Allergic herbs:
- Feverfew (multiple studies have shown this herb to be effective for the majority of people when taken at a dose of 2-4ml daily, specifically as a fresh herb extract with a strength ratio of 1:2)
- Heart’s Ease
- Baikal Skullcap
- Nettle leaf
- Ambrosia (we recommend the Allergeaze tincture blend by Mood Seed Herbals)
- Ginkgo
- Chamomile
- Lemon peel
- Echinacea
- Self-Heal
Anti-catarral (decongestant):
- Elderflower
- Goldenrod
- Hyssop
- Tulsi/Holy Basil
- Peppermint
- Mullein
- Coltsfoot
Hepatic and/or Hepatoprotective (liver support):
- Burdock root
- Chrysanthemum
- Rosemary
- Reishi
- Self Heal
- Milk Thistle
- Dandelion root
- Turmeric root
- Artichoke leaf
A reminder that Heart & Hands clients receive a 10% discount at the Green Muse Herbs apothecary when referred by members of the H&H practitioner team :)
Seasonal Balance Acupuncture
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention acupuncture in relation to seasonal allergies. Acupuncture in general has a well-demonstrated effectiveness for dealing with allergic rhinitis symptoms and recurrence, but we wanted to bring to your attention one of the concepts we use here at our clinic.
One of the unique tools we have at our disposal in Balance System Acupuncture, the primary system we employ at Heart & Hands, is a subsystem called ‘seasonal balance’. If a patient experiences a set of symptoms or a disease state as coming and going, recurrent year-over-year in a particular season (as defined by the luni-solar calendar), we can use a seasonal balance to bring that element of timing into the treatment.
Maybe each year around the anniversary of a car accident some pain returns that seems to relate to the original injury. Or you find your emotional state deteriorates the same time of year you experienced a significant loss. Or perhaps, relevant to this article, you experience recurrent allergy symptoms!
When we use a seasonal balance we have to ‘convert’ the points in a typical treatment protocol for the current luni-solar season in which the treatment is occurring. This takes a little bit of esoteric acupuncture math, but luckily we have collaborated on a set of charts we can refer to for easy point selection. This conversion incorporates the ‘phase’ or ‘element’ of the season – Wood for Spring, Fire for Summer, Metal for Autumn, and Water for Winter.
By infusing the energetic signature of the current season into the treatment, we can tap into the fundamental relationship between our inner- and outer worlds. Sometimes this influence is the key to unlocking a pattern that has been inscribed and reinscribed into our bodies by years of recurrent repetition of the same symptoms. Occasionally it is exactly the thing to break through a treatment plateau.
Reset your internal timing and expel those external pathogens, all while supporting organ systems, managing stress and creating optimal conditions to support your body to reduce allergy symptoms, not to mention participating in community-centred, traditional healthcare!
