From what I've seen in my patients this week, spring allergies seem to be at their peak. Most commonly people have itchy, red eyes, a sore throat, runny nose, sinus congestion, and sneezing. These symptoms are all due to a histamine reaction in our bodies primarily in response to tree pollens. From a Chinese Medicine perspective, they are usually due to an imbalance of the lung and spleen organs. What can you do to minimize the symptoms? Here are some tips.
- Don't exercise or run errands outdoors between 5-10am. This is the time of day when pollen counts are highest. They are even higher on hot or windy days. Do these activities in the mid to late afternoon instead.
- Avoid using a window fan- this can allow airborne pollens, mold spores, and pollutants to be brought into the home.
-Wash your hair before going to bed to rinse out the outdoor pollens that have accumulated during the daytime.
-Undress outside your bedroom if you've spent a significant time outdoors to avoid depositing the pollens attached to your clothing in the bedroom where you sleep at night.
-As beautiful as they are, at this time of year avoid flowers in your home. These may provoke sneezing attacks.
-Consider taking a Chinese herbal formula tailored to your specific symptoms. There are formulas that target symptoms only as well as formulas that treat the underlying imbalance causing you to be susceptible to pollens in the first place. Many times after taking one of the latter formulas for several months during the winter, patients report less severe reactions come springtime.
-I have also seen acupuncture alone greatly reduce allergy symptoms. Try acupuncture once to twice weekly to reduce sneezing, coughing, and sinus pressure.
If you have any questions or comments, or are interested in herbs or acupuncture to treat your seasonal allergies, please contact me at swallmeyer.acupuncture@gmail.com.
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