Treating Seasonal Allergies With Chinese Medicine
How to treat seasonal allergies with traditional Chinese medicine.
A Spring In Your Step
Dear reader,
I am writing to you in early Spring. The weather is still cold here. Frost covers the ground at night and is breached by sun in the early morning. It is still too cold to wear a light(er) jacket. And yet, the first flowers have started making their appearance.
As I notice the crocuses waking up on my morning walks, I find myself contemplating the meaning of Spring. In the historic and cultural medicine of China, human beings witnessed the transitions of nature. The qualities that belong to these transitions were described as Qi.
I think people make too much of the term Qi. If we just look at how things move and change, it follows to use a word that describes the quality of this change. That which moves behind the appearance of things, could be a simple definition of Qi.
The Qi of Spring is said to be like wind. Wind is movement or a quicker form of change. In Spring, we transition from the cold Qi of Winter to the hot Qi of Summer. What force can propel such a change from one opposite to the other? Wind. Wind necessitates change. It propels our bodies to find a new balance of adaptation with the environment around us. The Chinese say, that the fluids of our body have to become thinner in Spring. Traditionally, the density of our body’s fluids have to do with their ability to hold heat. In the cold Qi of Winter, the body must have the thickest fluids. In the hot Qi of summer, the body’s fluids must become thinnest. In the Spring then, the fluids must begin their thinning process.
The pressure to adapt to nature is seen as a necessary part of life in traditional medicine. There is no way to become immune to change. A failure to adapt to the circumstances outside of our bodies creates an adversarial relationship with the Qi of nature. This adversarial relationship is called a “strike” in traditional medicine. An external strike against the body is the body’s failure to adapt to the new circumstances surrounding it.
From the perspective of the body, this dynamic feels like the Qi of nature is striking it. It’s important to understand that there is no malicious intent from the Qi of nature. The body simply interprets the change as a strike because it isn’t prepared for the shift. The body then goes into a defensive and adaptive process. This process, we know as disease. In some cases, the form that this disease takes is called allergies.
Allergic to Adaptation
In biomedicine, we understand an allergy to be a reaction from the body’s immune system toward a particular substance that the body comes into contact with. The immune system recognizes this substance as a hostile presence and mobilizes its resources to attack. The following symptoms we are all familiar with…
Itching
Sneezing
Coughing
Phlegm or congestion
Dry/tearing eyes
Dermatological or digestive problems
And more…
Regardless of the type of symptom, traditional medicine views the cause of this disorder to be a failure of the body to adapt. The remedy then, must not only be about treating the above mentioned symptoms, but helping the adaptation process of the body to complete in live time.
If the nature of a problem is adaption, our next question would then be, “how can we aid the adaptation process?” Luckily, there are many answers to this question. Some, are actions we can take ourselves. Others, require aid by a trained practitioner in the arts of Chinese medicine.
A Simple Exercise: Shaking
Many of the ancient practices of China that have been crafted to assist the body and mind to adapt are not esoteric or outlandish. These practices often fall under the category of hygiene. Though, in this context, we don’t only mean getting cleaner. We mean instigating the vital forces of the body toward a more appropriate kind of circulation.
Stand in an even posture with the feet shoulder-width apart.
Allow for a very slight bend in the knees (making them “active,” and not locked)
Close your eyes and begin gently bouncing - allowing the whole body to pulse and move.
Allow the mind to drift to the various parts of the body - especially places of tension. Shake loose any feeling of stuckness.
When you feel your practice coming to a close, stop shaking and remain still.
Allow the mind to become quiet and feel the residual waves of internal activity.
When you are ready, gently re-open the eyes.
This shaking technique is often performed at the beginning of a Qigong practice. Its purpose is awakening the movement of Qi and blood in the body and to release blockages within the channels. The first time you do this practice, it is recommended to do so for only one or two minutes. After you get comfortable with the practice, you can increase the shaking time to five or ten minutes. In certain styles of Qigong practice, adept practitioners will even shake for as long as forty-five minutes to one hour! For our purposes, this amount of time is unnecessary.
The practice of shaking can be done on its own without any other practices or intentions. It can be practiced any time of day or in any season, but it is most beneficial to practice first thing in the morning and in the Spring season. This is because in both of these times be it daily or seasonally, the Qi of nature is beginning to move once again. If we instigate a similar quality of movement in our body, it helps the body to adapt and line up with the quality inherent in nature at that time.
This gentle practice of alignment prepares the fluids of the body for proper balance for that day. If we continue this practice for many days consecutively, it prepares the fluids of the body for proper balance for that week, month, and season. This is an excellent technique to use to help the body adapt to the seasonal transition and prevent complications like colds, flus, and the present of seasonal allergies.
Traditional Medicine Interventions
Depending on the person’s constitutional tendency as well as the status of the vitality in the body, more intervention may be required than simple hygiene practices. The medical interventions of herbal medicine and acupuncture are uniquely equipped to aid a person in this adaptation process to a deeper level. If done well, such interventions can not only alleviate the symptoms of conditions like allergies, but help the body to adapt and therefore, prevent the symptoms from reoccurring in future seasons.
In order for the intervention to work, each treatment must be individualized to the person and their circumstances. All generalized patented formulations and protocols of medicine are flawed. These formulations are unable to comprehend the needs of the person in the here and now. It’s for this reason that we do not recommend any medicines for general supplementation but suggest that each person be evaluated through consultation with a qualified practitioner.
If you are interested in this personalized type of care, click on the “schedule now” button below to book an appointment at our clinic in Portland, Oregon.
If you’d like to read more about how we treat seasonal allergies clinically, click the link below to access our clinic’s allergy treatment page.