Allergies, Coronavirus, and Traditional Chinese Medicine
After months of dormancy, the earth is beginning to awaken again. Spring brings a rebirth of life, as the grass begins to green, trees begin to bud, and flowers start peeking from their underground homes.
Unfortunately, for so many, spring can bring seasonal allergies, often referred to as hay fever or pollen allergies. Allergies, seasonal or year-round, are an ongoing problem for many individuals. Seasonal allergies typically︎ affect people during a particular season or time of ︎year, most commonly︎ in the spring. On top of that, this year it is happening at the same time that many are concerned about the Coronavirus.
Allergy Season During Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak
Many of you may already be feeling the symptoms of seasonal allergies, but with the recent outbreak of the coronavirus, it is vitally important that you both take better care of yourself and know the difference between the two.
The big reason to compare the two is that COVID-19 is programmed to attack the lungs. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you could misread your symptoms or worse have difficulty fighting the coronavirus if you contract it. That’s because:
- A runny nose triggered by allergies can move to the lungs.
- Allergies can also put added stress on those suffering from asthma.
- Your body will produce more mucus and phlegm when fighting off allergies. Phlegm itself is not dangerous, but when present in large amounts, it can clog the airways.
Allergies According to TCM
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the symptoms and signs that indicate a Western diagnosis of allergies relate to imbalances and weaknesses in your body. These imbalances are then impacted by other stresses including emotional stress, poor diet, foods that don’t agree with your body, constitutional weakness, pollutants, and environmental toxins. This will also put huge stress on our immune system. In TCM we call the immune system Wei Qi.
What is Wei Qi?
The Chinese concept of Wei Qi is similar to the Western concept of the immune system. Wei Qi functions to protect and defend the body against foreign substances, that if not caught can lead to allergies. When Wei Qi is strong and abundant, we remain healthy. When the supply︎ of W︎ei Qi becomes deficient, health is compromised. In modern society, one of the main issues that lower clients Wei Qi is the lack of sleep and stress. People who have a ︎Wei ︎Qi deficiency︎ are prone to allergies and frequent colds︎ and flus.
Acupuncture and Herbs support and strengthen the systems of the body that are involved in the production of Wei Qi. By building up the supply of Wei Qi, and facilitating the smooth and free ︎flow︎ of it through the body︎, symptoms, and signs related to allergies could be greatly reduced or eliminated.
Allergy Treatments
At Earley Wellness group we treat allergies with acupuncture and herbs. However, due to the unfortunate circumstance that we are not currently able to provide you with acupuncture, and so few clients are also requesting herbs, so we wanted to present you with some other options.
1. Reduce or Eliminate Sugar, Alcohol, and Dairy - All of these foods can increase the amount of phlegm you produce.
2. Lemons cut Phlegm - Try a mixture of 1 tablespoon of organic honey, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a cup of hot water for a soothing drink. Drink it like hot tea.
3. OTC Phlegm Reducer - If home remedies are not helping you enough, look into some over-the-counter allergy medication. We recommend using Mucinex for seasonal allergies and to help with symptoms of the Coronavirus.
Reach Out To Us With Questions
Even though we cannot be with you physically, we are still doing everything we can to support you. Please contact us with any questions, and if interested, look into our telehealth options.