Xia Sang Ju, symptomatic relief for wind and heat.
The Bay Area this week has been very windy and warm. For some people, it’s lovely weather. For allergy sufferers, it’s a nightmare. I’ll let you in on a little secret (not so secret if you’ve been into the office in the last few days) – your acupuncturist has always had a deficient Metal element. Metal relates to the Lung, and the Lung governs breathing, the nose and the skin. That’s why allergies, asthma and eczema are often seen together.
If you also have deficient Metal, you likely have been experiencing some combination of sneezing, coughing, red and watery eyes, runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, body aches and headaches since last Sunday, when the wind really picked up. The wind and heat can get lodged in the upper part of your body, and acupuncture and herbs are needed to kick them out. Standard allergy medicines rely on weakening your body’s immune response, which over time can further weaken the Metal element, making you even more reliant on medicines. Chinese medicine kicks out the wind and heat without damaging your Lungs and immune system.
In fact the best way to treat allergies is to treat them ahead of time. I refer you to this tweet from almost exactly one month ago -
Preventive medicine is best medicine.
If you come in for a series of treatments before allergy season picks up, you can sharply reduce or even eliminate allergy symptoms before they start. This type of treatment is focused on strengthening the Metal element.
Another quick tip for self-treatment if you’re in dire straits: self-massage and acupressure can give great relief if you’re in the middle of an allergy attack. This website shows some good points – use what they call “point 2″ and “point 4″ for quick relief from nasal congestion. And here’s a blog showing how to self-massage acupoint Hegu (the 4th point on the Large Intestine channel), which is great for any headaches and bodyaches. Finally, here is a diagram for finding acupoint Lieque (7th point on the Lung channel), which is great for all allergy symptoms. If you find yourself in an uncontrollable sneezing fit, Lieque is your friend. Press and rub with medium to strong pressure until symptoms subside.
Related articles
- Will acupuncture help allergies? (newsnet5.com)
- Allergy season is expected to be worse than usual (heraldnet.com)
- Fighting allergies the natural way (star-telegram.com)
- Bay Area allergy sufferers having a rough season (mercurynews.com)
