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Chinese medicine offers help for
spring allergies
Temperatures are rising, flowers are
blooming, and pollen counts are going
way up. What a paradox -- the beauty of
spring can make you ill.
As a practicing acupuncturist, I have
noticed spring brings major allergy
outbreaks. North Carolina sits right on
the border between two major climate
zones, so we're home to a greater
variety of flora than many other
regions. We also have a long
 growing
season, so our bodies are constantly
bombarded with lots of airborne
allergens.
Allergies can exacerbate IBS, colitis
and joint pain, increase headaches and
worsen acne and other symptoms. What can
you do about these problems besides
taking more Claritin and hiding indoors?
Here are some suggestions from Chinese
medicine.
In Chinese medicine, spring is the
season of the liver, the organ that
filters toxins from our bodies and
breaks down fat. The liver is also
involved in conversion of fat, amino
acids, vitamins and minerals into
useable forms.
We've heard it before: "You are what you
eat." This saying holds true for
allergies just as it's true for any
dis-eases in the body. By strengthening
our digestion and by feeding our body
what it needs, we can reduce the effect
of allergies.
As your first line of defense, it's
crucial to keep the gut healthy. This
helps prevent imbalance of the immune
system and the allergies that come with
it. If you've been taking antibiotics to
tackle your bronchitis (very cooling in
Chinese medicine), you may be suffering
from dysbiosis, which means too much
yeast, or overgrowth candida. To combat
your digestive imbalance, try taking
acidophilus; this can help replace
healthy bacteria in your gut.
Many of my patients have reported
improvements in their health by
lightening up their diets in the spring.
We naturally eat less or even fast to
cleanse the body of the fat and heavy
food of the winter. We emphasize food
that contains the qualities of spring:
fresh greens, sprouts, juicing with
carrots, beets, apples, mint tea and the
pungent cooking herbs basil, rosemary,
dill and bay leaf. These are foods that
support good liver function and produce
and activate the enzymes that help in
various phases of detoxification.
Give the liver as much support as
possible. Reducing coffee and alcohol
can be especially helpful. At the same
time, increase dietary Vitamin C (found
in citrus fruits, rosehips, bell peppers
and broccoli), the B vitamins,
especially B-12, general multi-vitamins,
ginger, milk thistle, lightly cooked
vegetables, and give the liver the
protection it needs.
Other tips include drinking warm water
with lemon, which helps cleanse the
liver.
Be watchful of the effects of different
foods on your mood and energy levels. If
you suspect that a food makes you sleepy
or irritable, try cutting it from your
diet for a while.
I ultimately believe that allergies are
the result of an imbalanced body. Diet,
rest, exercise and health programs that
promote balance and well-being are
integral to the healing process --
include healing allergy reactions. I
hope this information helps make your
spring time less sneezy and much more
filed with health and vitality.
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