by Mikiala Christie, Health Within Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine –
Spring is around the corner and depending on who you are, it is either a welcome change from winter or a nasty assault on your immune system. According to statistics, one in six Canadians suffer from hay fever or allergic rhinitis. Depending on your particular allergy, you may suffer from April all the way to mid-October.
You may have followed the advice of the medical profession and sometimes, you have felt relief. However, for the majority of you the level of relief and the side effects of the medication can often be frustrating. While the western medical approach focuses on symptom relief, traditional more holistic medical practises focus on symptom relief and getting to the root of the cause.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) describes an allergy as a break down in your “Wei Qi.” This is the body’s defense system and it is governed by the lungs. This defense system resides on your skin. We know in western medicine that the skin is not only a physical barrier against infection, but also contains certain cells that actively fight infection. Scientists are learning more and more about how the skin’s collection of microorganisms is connected to a branch of the immune system.
The Wei Qi helps to regulate our first line of defense by the opening and closing of our pores. That is why so many cultures use alternating hot and cold therapies to help your immune system. Think of the use of saunas in Scandinavian cultures and the use of spicy foods and ginger to sweat out a cold. Exercise is also very important to help keep your immune system strong.
The Wei Qi is a complex system that is governed by the lungs and influenced by our digestive system. We know that our gut microbes help to influence our immune system and vice versa. In TCM it is taught that the food we eat influences our immune system because we excrete what we no longer need and keep what we do need in storage. This storage of nutrients helps to fuel many systems in our body, including the immune system. Modern day processed “foods” and sugar disrupts the balance in your system because they are devoid of real nutrition. The body must take nutrients from your storage in order to properly digest these chemically made foods.
In TCM, practitioners use acupuncture, Chinese herbs and a method known as cupping to help both stimulate the immune system and to alleviate the allergy symptoms. Acupuncture points such as Stomach 36 have been shown to boost white blood cell count. Cupping involves using suction, mostly on the back, to help reduce swelling and to regulate histamine levels. Many different herbs are used for allergy sufferers. Herbs such as astragalus, atractylodis and siler root boost the immune system while at the same time clearing heat and inflammation.
Allergy symptoms are not a new problem for human beings; we have been suffering for centuries. While modern life exposes us to even more irritants and pollutants, the approach to combatting the disease has not changed. Taking advantage of what modern medicine has to offer is a good idea if you get relief. But why not ask yourself: “Am I helping my body and improving my health overall or am I just masking the symptoms?”
