Seasonal Allergies: A Root Cause Approach Using Chinese Medicine

Seasonal allergies don’t have to plague us each time pollen counts go up. There are other solutions besides allergy medications to the runny nose, itchy eyes, stuffiness, sneezing, and fatigue that often go along with seasonal allergies. While allergy medications are useful in treating these symptoms, they never address the underlying cause. Chinese Medicine has a number of tools to help with both the symptoms and root-cause of seasonal allergies. Interestingly, these root cause solutions often involve improving our digestion.

In the way Chinese Medicine understands the body, the digestive organs provide the ammunition for warding off external pathogens. External pathogens, such as plant particles, irritate the body causing the uncomfortable allergy symptoms. If the digestion is working well, the body’s defenses for the plant debris will be in full force, and the plant debris can’t irritate us. In fact, two out of three of the herbs comprising the most common Chinese herbal formula for preventing allergies focus on supporting digestive function.

As it turns out, scientific studies are validating the Chinese Medical understanding of the gut’s relationship to seasonal allergies. From the research, it is becoming clear that certain compositions of gut microbes are associated with less symptoms of seasonal allergies (1). Additionally, the gut mucosa is a production site for a major enzyme involved in the breakdown of histamine- the chemical signal that leads to seasonal allergy symptoms (2).

Chinese Medicine offers multiple tools for helping alleviate and prevent seasonal allergies. Acupuncture is great for opening the airways, reducing congestion, and calming itchiness while supporting our bodies’ innate healing abilities. Chinese herbs are effective as well. You may be encouraged to take one formula for when you are experiencing allergy symptoms and a different formula for the off-seasons to address the root cause. Cupping and Gua Sha are excellent therapies for reducing respiratory symptoms and itchiness also. We are available to combine these modalities to form a specialized treatment plan just for you.

If you’re interested in addressing the root cause of your seasonal allergies, or to find more information, we’d love to hear from you.

1. Hua, X., Goedert, J., Pu, A., Yu, G. and Shi, J., 2015. Allergy associations with the adult fecal microbiota: Analysis of the American Gut Project. EBioMedicine, [online] 3, pp.172-179. Available at: <https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(15)30221-8/fulltext> [Accessed 18 August 2020].

2. Schnedl, W., Schenk, M., Lackner, S., Enko, D., Mangge, H. and Forster, F., 2019. Diamine oxidase supplementation improves symptoms in patients with histamine intolerance. Food Science and Biotechnology, [online] 28(6), pp.1779-1784. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6859183/> [Accessed 18 August 2020].

3. Scheid V, Bensky D, Ellis A, Barolet R. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies. 2nd ed. Eastland Press; 2015.