If you've had seasonal allergies your whole life and are tired to taking flo-nase or other over-the-counter medication, I highly recommend you see a naturopath or acupuncturist who specializes in herbs as there are powerful and natural ways to ease your discomfort and prevent allergies for the future.
Seasonal allergy symptoms seen in most people are low energy, red/dry eyes, nasal congestion with yellow/green mucus, poor appetite and dry nose/throat. In Chinese Medicine, we would see this as a Lung Deficiency (fatigue, low energy, poor appetite) combined with an External Heat (red/dry eyes, yellow/green mucus, sore throat). We would want to Tonify the Lung/Spleen Qi and clear the heat. Here are a few things you can do right now to reduce your allergy symptoms though!
1. Wash Your Hair and Pillow Cases Daily- If you find that you experience the most congestion at night and in the morning, it's often from the pollen/dust you've collected on yourself throughout the day. Even if we wash our hair, often our pillows will have allergens, making sleep difficult with congestion. Use a fragrance-free, eco-friendly detergent, as the chemicals and fragrances can irritate an already inflamed airway.
2. Reduce Spicy, Sweet and Difficult to Digest Food- Spicy food might temporarily clear your nasal passages but this heat unfortunately is drying out the Lung more. In Chinese Medicine, we say that Spicy/Pungent is the flavor of the Lung- therefore "A Little Tonfies, A Lot Disperses." The heat of spicy food will 'burn up the yin of the Lung' as the Lung likes to be warm and moist. Sweet foods and difficult to digest foods will contribute to the mucus production. Hard breads, cheese, raw/uncooked foods and desserts- all of these are going to continue the mucus production. Food needs to be cooked, not heavily seasoned and easy to digestion- you want to support your Spleen and Lung right now, not give them hard work when they're already sick. I highly recommend a fresh (not dry) ginger tea throughout the day as well; this will nourish the Spleen and warm up the Lung gently. If it's summer, let the tea cool off but do not drink ice cold.
3. Chinese Herbal Formulas- If you have an acupuncturist who also sells herbs, let them know you're having allergy symptoms so they can look at your signs and symptoms to make a correct diagnosis and prescribe the perfect formula for you. One of my favorite formulas for when someone is in the midst of allergic symptoms is Jia Wei Xin Yi San (Xanthium & Magnolia Flower Formula) from Golden Flower Herbs.
4. Neti Pot! For a long time, I wasn't a fan of the Neti Pot; I didn't like water going through my nose as it reminded me of swimming and getting water in there. But I've experienced how well it can clean the nasal passages and allergy sufferers NEED to do this. Using a Neti Pot gently irrigates the nasal passages and helps the body to rid itself of the pollen and allergens. If you suffer from nasal congestion, please go and buy a Neti Pot. They are very inexpensive and along with washing your hair and pillow cases, your allergy symptoms could be reduced by 80% alone.
The biggest reason I see with patients with chronic seasonal allergies is their diet. I highly recommend that you look at your diet and examine what could be impairing your body's natural ability to shield itself from pathogens- often it's poor food combinations or the wrong diet for our bodies. If you have any tips that you'd like to share that have worked for you, comment below! Have a healthy day- Collin
No comments:
Post a Comment