Prepare Your Body for Allergy Season
It seems as though allergy season is always around the corner. Each year over 50 million Americans experience allergies, which are the sixth leading cause of chronic illness. So, what about a runny nose and itchy eyes causes chronic illnesses?
Those of you who experience allergies know that they trigger inflammation and fluids in the ears, sinuses, and throat. This can lead to sinus, ear, or upper respiratory infections, as the inflammation makes it hard for your body to flush out pathogens. Inflammation and retention of fluid in the ear canal can lead to vertigo and dizziness. Allergies also cause inflammation throughout the body, which when left untreated can cause long-term issues like high blood pressure, pain, asthma, eczema, stomach and bowel issues.
While antihistamines and steroid shots might help alleviate symptoms short-term, they do not treat the root cause of allergies. These “Band-Aid” solutions can also have harmful long-term effects on the body. Acupuncture, herbs, and diet get to the root issue of what is causing allergies. Preventative treatments now can help prevent allergies for this spring season.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) views allergies as an imbalance in one or more of the organs. In TCM spring is the season associated with the liver. Often this means that if you experience seasonal allergies in the spring, there is a good chance your liver could use a detox. This detox can be done through the use of acupuncture, herbs, and diet in order to help prevent allergies.
Below are two recipes to help prepare and support your body through allergy season. Aid your liver in detox with the juice recipe or soothe seasonal allergies with a butternut squash soup that is packed full of ingredients containing natural antihistamines.
Liver Detox Juice
Allergy Elimination Soup