Treating Hidden Causes of Seasonal Allergies

When Symptomatic Treatments of Seasonal Allergies Falls Short! Allergies are annoying and difficult to deal with each year. Many turn to over the counter or prescription antihistamines to treat the allergy. There are some hidden causes of allergies that can perpetuate and even worsen your allergy symptoms year after year. Instead of dealing with the symptoms addressing he underlying causes can mitigate or even eliminate allergies.Weak immune system:Many times there is a weak immune system that is perpetuating allergies. Blood count and neutrophil activity may be normal on blood work, but the fundamental basis for allergies is that it is the nose, and the throat are the first level of the immune system that are weakened. The lining of the nose and throat is made up of epithelial tissue. This tissue has the ability to resist allergens as they are inhaled. Failure to do that means that on some level there is a weakness in immunity.Digestive issues:The second factor that can exacerbate allergies are stomach problems. If there is irritation in the stomach, including indigestion, bloating, slow transit time, acid reflux, you can irritate the sinuses by the systemic poor digestion below. Treating to make the stomach digest better can help reduce the allergy symptoms and it is an “under the table” cause that can aggravate allergies. Treating to calm the stomach and reducing greasy, rich, sugary, fatty foods will also give the stomach a rest.Another overlooked factor includes the liver organ. The liver organ is responsible for detoxifying the body and for tagging foods in the body for proper assimilation as the food stuff exits from the stomach to the liver. If the liver organ is sluggish, it will not do its job properly. If the liver organ is overtaxed, it will worsen the intensity and severity of the allergens. Usually, there is a lot of stress in this person’s life or a lot of overworking. The emotional and or physical stress can stir up or exhaust the liver organ. Regulating the liver organ is an overlooked strategy that must be addressed to treat these contributing factors in allergies.Intestinal Health:Much discussion on the gut has been discussed, regarding the microbiome, or gut flora that must be in place to help stimulate immunity. As important is creating a regular bowel movement and straightening out conditions that could be affecting your gut. Sluggish or loose stool creates a pressure in the lower colon which can back up and effect the sinuses from one end to the other. Fixing the elimination problems and restoring gut microbiome are also critical in treating chronic allergies.Chronic Imbalance:Finally, it is important to realize that an “allergy” is a symptom of a chronic imbalance in the body. It I s not a simple quick fix for it. Consider that people with chronic allergies do not catch colds because they always have a form of cold. Fixing the immune system requires a comprehensive approach.Chinese Medicine:  When we evaluate an allergy case, we ask for look at all these factors via questioning, getting the larger patterns via the symptoms. Additionally, we have a Chinese medicine pulse diagnosis that allows us to assess the relative strength or weakness of each organ system based upon the shape and level of different areas of the pulse. Each pulse tells a story about the body or the state of the organ. There are pulses that can assess the sinuses, the lungs, the stomach, the liver, and the adrenal system to name a few. Then once we have the targeted problemed areas, and the causes we can target them using acupuncture and or Chinese herbs to hone-in on existing problems.Acupuncture uses needles to help unblock sinuses, reduce irritation in the eyes, nose and throat, helps to decongest the mucus build up and the incessant sniffling and teary eyes.Chinese herbs target the immunity and any other organ that is helpful for your condition.Food and diet recommendations are important and are gone over as well.Treatment is personalized because each person, has different conditions that are occurring in the body.Treating allergies is a complex process. Successful treatment must consider the various conditions that are perpetuating it. To achieve the long-term goal of an enhanced immunity in the nose and sinus areas, it must be addressed in a comprehensive manner.I treated a 40-year-old man, who had sever itching and sneezing and runny nose during the allergy season. He also has a history of anemia and so was very tired.  He had trouble going to and from work because his eyes would tear. Completing computer work was exceedingly difficult to perform, as his eyes felt raw and irritated. He had a chronic headache in his forehead area. After reviewing his other symptoms, I performed a Chinese medical pulse diagnosis by feeling his wrists.  I found that he indeed had a lot of lingering phlegm in his sinuses, non-infectious phlegm in his lungs, a sluggish liver, overall tiredness due to the anemia which suppressed the nature jump of the pulses.I treated him using acupuncture during the fall season. We did 7 visits in a two-and-a-half-month period. Because he was working and his commute did not allow him much time, I also gave him some herbs in an easy to dissolve into tea powder. I focused the formula on the sinuses, herbs to improve the liver and herbs to strengthen his immune system. In two months’, time he had no symptoms of headache, his sinus congestion reduced by 60% and his eye tearing was down by 50%. His long-term strategy was to keep strengthening his body, so his immunity returns while addressing the symptoms. He continues to take herbs outside of the allergy months to strengthen his immune system as his long term follow up strategy.He told me for the first time in years, he could enjoy the fall season without having to sniffle and cough his way through it.  He felt he could breathe better, and he didn’t walk around with a “heavy weight” hanging from his head.Are you looking for help with your allergies? Feel free to reach out to me (201) 444-7150 or email me at Joshua@acupunctureYES.com. Stop your suffering. Look for additional help today. Integrative Acupuncture is located in Ridgewood, NJ and provide acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and cupping services to people of Bergen County New JerseyContact me here: https://acupunctureyes.com/contact/Home page here:  https://acupunctureyes.com/#About the practitioner https://acupunctureyes.com/about-joshua-goldstein/