Allergy Season 2018

Is this the worst allergy season ever?

If your allergies have been especially intense this spring during allergy season, you are not the only one. Recently, GeoHealth  published a study in the journal that implies the reason is climate change.  Apparently, milder, warmer winters cause oak trees to have more potent pollen.   The more potent pollen wreaks havoc on your and sinuses and senses.

This isn’t the first study to show a relationship between climate change and an increase in allergy symptoms. Another study published in Climatewire, indicate conditions will continue to get worse for seasonal allergy sufferers. The result of continued global warming climate causes the release of more pollen each year. Most studies specifically blame increasing carbon dioxide levels for the recent escalation in pollen production, which in turn causes a range of symptoms in people. Some cases can be so severe sufferers have difficulty breathing and need to be admitted to the emergency room.

What causes the reaction?

When our bodies are hypersensitive to substances in our environment, we can experience seasonal allergies.  Symptoms primarily involve the membrane lining the nose, causing allergic rhinitis, or the membrane lining the eyelids and covering the whites of the eyes, causing allergic conjunctivitis.

While there are many Western medications to treat the symptoms of seasonal allergies, these treatments can cause unwanted side effects, such as drowsiness and immune system suppression as well as an over-reliance on medications. These side effects have motivated many people to search for alternative approaches like acupuncture and Oriental medicine to manage their allergies.

How Acupuncture Treatments Provide Relief from Allergies

According to Oriental Medicine, allergic rhinitis is related to Wind and a deficiency of the Protective Wei Qi. Wei Qi is the Qi, or energy, that flows at the surface of the body as a protective sheath and is responsible for resistance to colds and other respiratory infections. People with a deficiency of Wei Qi catch colds easily and are more susceptible to allergens.

We use acupuncture to treat the underlying imbalances within your body.  First, we balance your body.  Then we develop a treatment plan designed to relieve the acute symptoms of your seasonal allergies.   All the while also treating the root problems that are contributing to the body’s reaction to allergens. Treatments often include dietary modification, the use of specifically chosen herbal formulas, and acupuncture.

Seasonal acupuncture treatments just four times a year also serve to tonify the inner organ systems and can correct minor annoyances before they become serious problems. If you experience seasonal allergies, schedule an appointment now.

We recently wrote about “AL” who suffered horribly from seasonal allergies. We explain how acupuncture works for allergies in that blog.