3 Approaches to Allergy Relief
Dr. Janine Pulley
Allergy season is upon us once more!
Allergies are the result of your immune system overreacting to airborne particles, such as pollen, dust, or dander. They often present with symptoms like a running nose, watery itchy eyes, and sneezing. Most people with seasonal allergies suffer during the spring and fall every year, and millions of dollars are spent every year on medications and allergy shots to try to manage symptoms.
Acupuncture
Many people find relief with treatments such as acupuncture (see the WHO list of conditions that acupuncture can help with here https://www.pulleychiropractic.com/benefitsofacupuncture.html. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a person with allergies typically has weak Lungs or an imbalance between organs including the Lungs. Acupuncture can be used to boost weakness and harmonize imbalances to alleviate allergies. It may take several visits to obtain lasting relief, but often people notice improvement quickly.
Those people who do not notice quick improvements with acupuncture are often suffering from system inflammation, in my experience. System inflammation slows the body’s ability to heal, and inflammation is part of the immune overreaction that causes allergies in the first place. If inflammation is a problem, it must also be addressed – the most effective ways typically being diet and supplementation.
If you would like to try acupuncture to control your allergies, I am happy to assess you to see if acupuncture is the best fit! Call for an appointment at 978-237-5106.
Food Choice
Inflammatory foods and foods you are hypersensitive to must be eliminated to allow the inflammation to subside so your body can heal properly. What I have found to be the most effective way is the Primal Boston approach – no grains (such as wheat, oats, corn, rice), no legumes (aka beans), no sugar, and minimal dairy. These foods all contain pro-inflammatory proteins and sugar that can cause significant irritation to your digestive system in particular, along with the rest of your body. In TCM, the Lungs and Large Intestine are linked together, so I find that many people with allergies (seasonal or food allergies) tend to improve when they address their diet.
Steve DiOrio of Primal Boston is a certified Primal Blueprint coach who can walk you through the changes you can make to your diet to try to address your allergies. Check out his website at primalboston.com or give him a call at 978-397-6062.
Supplements
Supplements can also be an effective way to manage allergies. Many herbs and whole foods can be utilized for their anti-inflammatory properties, and they can help address underlying deficiencies that may be contributing to the allergies. I find that supplements work best when paired with food choice changes because together, you are obtaining a naturally strong anti-inflammatory effect.
Standard Process and MediHerb are companies that produce high-quality whole foods supplements and herbal products that can be used to address allergies. Some of the most common complexes used are Allerplex, Atronex, Epimune Complex, Albizia Complex, and ResCo. Finding the right product or combination of products is something we can do together at the office through evaluation and muscle testing.
Call the office today at 978-237-5106 to schedule an evaluation!
February 27, 2018
