According to the Mayo Clinic, “Allergies occur when your immune system reacts to a foreign substance — such as pollen, bee venom or pet dander — that doesn’t cause a reaction in most people.”
The definition according to acupuncture-Chinese medicine is very similar: the lung component of your immune system produces an anti-pathogen reaction even though no pathogens are actually present. Allergies are an over-reaction of the immune system to a perceived threat that does not exist.
Once this reaction occurs, you have an inflammatory reaction. This can be a skin, sinus, lung and digestive system reaction with the classical symptoms, such as itchiness, sneezing, etc. that most are familiar with.
Allergies can be a huge problem and living with allergies requires often lots of medications and tests and injections that may control the reactivity for some time. Unfortunately, as so many other things, there is no known total cure for allergies. However, with acupuncture we can reduce the frequency of allergic reactions and balance the reactivity of the immune system by a fairly good degree of success thus reducing the necessity and frequency for medication intake.
In Chinese medicine the main problem with allergies is the internal surveillance system of the lung immune function. This system is called Wei Chi in mandarin and is related not just to the lungs but also to our largest organ, the skin. Wei Chi also denotes the protective layer of the immune system against external invasion of pathogenic factors such as viruses and bacteria. When this system is out of balance, our bodies are more prone to inflammatory reactions as explained above.
Herbs That May Help
The classical Chinese herbal formula Cordyceps Dong Chong Xia Cao is significantly helpful in strengthening the immune system. Cordyceps does not inhibit allergic reactions or treats the symptoms of allergies. Rather ittreats the source of the problem by balancing and fortifying the Wei-Chi (immune resistance-response) so that there is less reactivity.
Cordyceps has a wide spectrum of effectiveness in a number of areas. It treats Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Angina, Bronchitis, Chemo/Radio surgery support – Long term, Chronic infections, Dry lungs, Emphysema, Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, HIV-related inmmuno-deficiency, Hypertension, incontinence…
Therapeutic Actions: 1. Improve lung function, and addresses such conditions as asthma, wheez
ing, chronic cough, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 2. May be useful for arrhythmia, heart failure, pulmonary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, cirrhosis, hepatitis, male impotence, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, drug toxicity (cyclosporine), chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. 3. Acts as a general tonifying agent. Cordyceps strengthens resistance to disease, boosts the immune system, and enhances athletic performance
Chinese Therapeutic Effects: Tonify kidney yang; Strengthen protective (We) Chi; Nourish lung yin; Stops cough and transforms phlegm.
Finally, a classical acupuncture prescription to control allergies and improve the immune reaction is the insertion of needles into the points LI4, LU7, LI20, CV17, K16, YT or Third Eye and BL13, 14, 15 in the upper back. Receiving a dosage of between three and five sessions of this prescription provides a significant boost to the ability of the immune system to improve its self regulation