Acupuncture, Herbs & Essential Oils For Allergies
An allergy occurs when your immune system reacts to a foreign substance called an allergen. Allergies could be anything from something you inhale to something you touch or eat. An allergic reaction may cause sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, a runny nose, a sore throat, and rashes.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, nearly 50 million Americans are affected by nasal allergies. These numbers are increasing too. To date, allergies are the sixth-leading cause of chronic illness in the United States. Anaphylactic reactions are typically triggered by medications, food, and insect stings, with pharmaceuticals causing the most allergy-related deaths. The cost of allergies exceeds $18 billion per year!
There are ways to deal with allergies, though. Obviously, with life-threatening allergies, a person needs to know what they are allergic to and be very adamant about avoiding those substances. For others who deal with seasonal allergies, things aren’t as dire, and the inconvenience of allergies can be navigated using many natural remedies, including Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
TCM is a medical system that has been around for thousands of years. The general theory behind TCM is to treat the patient holistically, considering all aspects of the patient’s illness. TCM utilizes many modalities to treat the patient, including acupuncture, acupressure, herbs, formulas, cupping, and nutrition. For treating allergies, there are some wonderful herbs and formulas that can be implemented. Here’s a short list of items that can be used to treat non-life-threatening allergies.
Traditional Chinese Medicinal Herbs and Essential Oils
1. Reishi or Medicinal Mushrooms: Medicinal mushrooms have been used for centuries to help with everything from balancing blood sugar to decreasing inflammation. But they are also well-known for their immune-boosting properties. Reishi mushrooms are adaptogenic, and they help regulate stress in the body. Reishi mushrooms will aid in decreasing the stress response many people have with allergies.
2. Scutellaria or Huang Qin: Huang Qin is frequently used to treat acute respiratory infections and bronchitis. Two key components of Huang Qin are particularly good at relieving allergic asthma attacks.
3. Saposhnikovia or Fang Feng: Fang Feng is used frequently by TCM practitioners to expel and prevent wind pathogen invasions. So for allergies that prompt headaches and nasal symptoms, this is a great herb to have on hand.
4. Magnolia Flower or Xin Yi Hua: Magnolia flowers are used in TCM due to their aromatic nature. Xin Yi Hua is another great herb to have on hand when seasonal allergies flare up. This herb relieves nasal congestion, sinus headaches, and the runny nose that frequently accompanies allergies.
5. Cang Er Zi San: Cang Er Zi is used for people suffering from allergy attacks. Cang Er Zi San works to open up the nasal passageways, helps expel congested mucus, decreases sneezing, and helps to alleviate red itchy eyes. It is a go-to herbal formula for TCM practitioners during allergy season.
Herbs can be very beneficial and help keep the body free from illness. The herbs and formulas mentioned above are just a few examples that would be good to have around if you suffer from allergies.
Additionally, many essential oils are beneficial to alleviate allergies - and they smell lovely, such as Eucalyptus Rosemary Pine and Frankincense! One of the most common blends I work with is called Support Po.
For those practitioners or students that want to learn more about how essential oils are often the missing piece to the most efficient treatments learn more here
Contact Marc Gian in the Flatiron District in NYC and Prospect/Crown Heights, Brooklyn, to assist you with your health goals.
marcgian@gmail.com
845.519.9256
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