Annoyed With Allergies

By Tory Wegner, LAc

How many of you walked outside this weekend and groaned when you saw the thick layer of yellow pollen covering your car? Knowing that your allergies are going to turn against you and before you know it you’re sneezing, itching, congested, headachy and cranky. Instead of taking kids for a bike ride or a walk in the park, you are destined to pass the beautiful day indoors because your allergies are so severe. The good news is that you don’t have to suffer through spring because acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine provide a safe and viable treatment option for both children and adults suffering from allergies.

An important theory of diagnosis in Chinese Medicine is called “root versus branch” treatment. This basically means that in order to effectively treat an illness it is not enough to simply control the branch symptoms; the root cause of the illness must also be addressed. Allergies are a prime example of how this principle works because acupuncture can treat the root cause (over-stimulated immune system) as well as the branch symptoms (ears, nose, throat). This makes it different from common allergy medications such as Claritin or Zyrtec, which only address the branch symptoms and is not addressing the cause, so you’ll continue to have allergies.

Basically this means acupuncture is effective during an acute allergy episode to lesson the irritating symptoms or it can be used between allergy seasons when there are no symptoms to strengthen the body and immune system. Chinese herbal medicine and homeopathics are often combined with acupuncture to provide enhanced and long lasting results and are usually an important part of treating allergies. Ideally a person with allergies should come in about a month before their allergies normally kick into high gear to start work on enhancing the immune system and lessen the intensity of the allergy symptoms. During the acute phase with all the irritating symptoms, people typically come in for acupuncture treatment weekly and take herbs.

Acupuncture and herbal supplements can be used safely in conjunction with western medicine treatments such as allergy shots or over-the-counter medication. So if you or someone you love is tired of sniffing and sneezing, consider acupuncture as an alternative allergy treatment and get ready to enjoy spring!