Part 2 - Allergies

[Guest guest]

Again, my apologies for being so late with this and some other things.

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In part 1 we learned what constitutes the classic allergic reaction.

Immunoglobulin-E (IgE) hooks to a mast cell and when the IgE encounters an

allergen it's programmed for, the mast cell releases a substance called

histamine which is what causes the inflammation, itching, swelling, etc.

(Simplified explanation.) However, there is a lot of debate among allergy

specilists as to exactly what constitutes an allergic reaction. Some

allergy specialists believe that there may be other mediators besides IgE,

for example substance P which also has to do with pain.

 

My personal opinion - based on having had allergies for years and managing

to deal with them with some success - is that allergies and sensitivities

are more complex than the IgE model alone can account for. For example, why

are allergies more common in the spring than during other seasons? There

are plenty of things pollinating in the summer and early fall. Grass

continues to pollinate all through the growing season, and in many areas

molds are present throughout the year. While it's true that more things

tend to pollinate during the spring than during other seasons, this fact

along is not enough to account for why so many more people tend to be

allergic during the spring than at other times of the year, and the allergy

attacks tend to be more severe in the spring than during other seasons.

 

There are other questions as well that the IgE model alone does not answer.

Why can a person be exposed to something s/he's allergic to and it doesn't

affect him/her some days whereas it does on others? In some of these cases,

the total allergy load is a factor, but this isn't always the case.

Sometimes the total amount of allergens the person is exposed to can be the

same, but one day the person reacts while on other days the person doesn't.

What else is going on that can explain this?

 

Why do people who move because of allergies tend to end up developing

allergies to different plants in the new location - plants which are not in

the same family or even similar to prior allergen plants? (This does happen

unless the underlying tendency to develop allergies is addressed. Until

that underlying tendency to develop allergies is addressed, the person just

ends up developing allergies to plants and other things in the new

environment.)

 

A lot of times TCM will give insight into Western medicine, and Western

medicine will give insight into TCM. I've found this to be especially true

when it comes to allergies. Please remember that TCM healers diagnose TCM

syndromes, not Western-defined medical conditions. But when it comes to

allergies and allergy-like reactions and sensitivities, there is an amazing

dovetailing between Western medicine and TCM, even including one of the

diets which often gets recommended for allergy sufferers in the West.

 

Some of the TCM information on symptoms which are called allergy or

allergy-like symptoms in the West begin to make even more sense in view of

some discoveries in alternative Western medicine. Likewise, some of

discoveries about allergies and sensitivities in the West start to make more

sense when also viewed from a TCM perspective.

 

Some Western books on allergies and some allergy doctors talk about

" targets " . What this means is that allergies tend to target some parts of

the body more than other parts in some people. For example, some people

react to allergens primarily in the nose and upper respiratory system -

sneezing, runny nose, congested nose, and tickling in the throat. Other

people are most sentitive in their lungs and may have breathing problems as

a result. Still others are bothered most in their skin and develop rashes

when exposed to an allergen. Others may be affected primarily in the

digestive system. Some people may be affected in more than one target.

 

The particular target can determine the best treatment in TCM as well as in

Western medicine. In fact, the particular target is even more revealing in

TCM than in Western medicine. For example, if the eyes are affected

prominently - as in allergic conjunctivitis - suspect and rule in or rule

out Liver imbalance. In TCM, the Liver " opens into the eyes. " Whenever the

eyes or vision are affected in any way, suspect and rule in or rule out

Liver imbalance.

 

Skin as well as the upper respiratory tract suggests possible Lung

imbalance. Marked problems with fatigue as well as digestive system

involvement (including but not limited to food allergies and sensitivities)

suggests Spleen involvement. Urinary tract involvement suggest Kidney

imbalance. Heart palpitations and disturbed sleep suggests the possibility

of Heart imbalance. A general rule when it comes to allergies (and to other

problems as well) is that a person tends to get hit the hardest where there

are preexisting or acquired weaknesses. For example, as bad as my

allergies/ sensitivities to inhaled allergens were - sneezing, nasal

congestion and discharge - my reaction to some foods was even worse. In my

case, Spleen Deficiency is a far more severe problem than Lung imbalance.

My lungs were more affected by certain foods than they were by inhaled

allergens. (This doesn't mean that a person with upper respiratory problems

doesn't have Spleen imbalance. Both or neither may exist. In TCM one goes

by the TCM profile, not by one symptom. One other thing to consider when

there is lung congestion due to allergies or infection or if the person has

asthma is the alignment of the spine. There is an adjustment that

chiropractors and DOs can give to the upper back that can help the lungs to

decongest. There is an adjustment to the neck that these healthcare

professtionals can give which will clear a stuffy head. One local DO here

was very popular not only with patients but with staff at a local hospital

because he could relieve their stuffy heads during allergy season without

the side effects of many prescription drugs. Also, in the case of lung

congestion and/or some cases of asthma, if you gently press along the spine,

very often, one or more sore spots will be found. In some of these cases,

if the person or a family member or friend gently massages the back until

the sore point eases, the congestion and breathing problems also will ease.

Be very careful and gentle because sometimes rubbing the sore spot can

aggravate the breathing problems, especially if the massaging is too

vigorous. Lung congestion can be a particular problem with some people who

are Kidney Yang Deficient. One of the possible symptoms of Kidney Yang

Deficiency is that the person tends to sleep curled up, in a fetal position.

If there's also a problem with spinal misalignment, this sleeping position

can tend to make lung congestion problems worse. (There may also be a

Kidneys Refusing to Receive Qi imbalance in these cases.) If the person

adopts a sleeping position in which the shoulders are more back instead of

rounded, this often will improve lung congestion problems. Please note that

I said " improve " instead of " cure " . Also, in general, when lung congestion

problems and breathing problems are worse when a person is lying down than

when sitting, this often points to Interior Dampness problems.)

 

In cases where allegies tend to be worse in spring than at other seasons,

suspect and rule in or rule out Protective Qi Deficiency. As far as I know,

Protective Qi does not prevent allegens from being inhaled and triggering

allergic reactions once in the body. But, Protective (Wei) Qi Deficiency

does make the person more susceptible to External Pernicious Evils. We're

talking Wind Chill and Wind Heat in particular here with an accent on Wind.

 

If you go down the list of possible symptoms associated with Exterior Wind,

Cold, and Heat, there are a number of allergy-like symptoms associated with

these TCM syndromes - nasal congestion and discharge, scratchy or sore

throat, red eyes, headache, muscle soreness, etc. Yes, allergies can trigger

muscular pains though this is not the most probable cause of muscular pains.

But if other, more well-known allergy-like symptoms are present, the

muscular pains and soreness probably are allergy- and/or External Pernicious

Evil linked. Allergy-like symptoms by themselves may not indicate weak

Protective Qi. But if the person also is weather-sensitive and the person

tends to have the most problems with allergies during windy times of the

year, strongly suspect and rule in or rule out weak Protective Qi. If this

is present, this is going to have to be addressed before the person's

allergies/ sensitivities improve.

 

Weak Protective Qi is an underlying Root and co-factor in some cases of

allergies and allergy-like symptoms. It may take a while to correct this

imbalance. In the meanwhile, the person needs immediate relief. Sometimes

the person may need to see a doctor for an antihistamine or even prednisone

for some of the most immediate relief of all. Sometimes certain herbs and

acupunture or even acupressure can give some immediate relief. In general,

what one wants to do is to release the Exterior. There is a class of herbs

called Herbs for Relieving the Exterior that are affective in some cases of

allergies - those which have a Root of or a co-factor of Exterior Wind.

There is a class of herbs called Herbs for Expelling Wind Dampness. These

are primarily herbs for arthritis and rheumatism. But, in some cases (not

all), the herbs in this class can help with allergies or allergy-like

symptoms. The cases in which these herbs may also help with allergies/

sensitivities are cases in which there is weather sensitivity, the person

has a history of being particularly bothered by Wind, and there also may be

some Interior Dampness problems and marked Spleen Deficiency. Such a person

also will tend to have arthritic problems. In fact, the person may even say

something along the lines of, " Not only are my allergies giving me fits, but

my arthritis is acting up. "

 

In addition there are acupoints which are helpful in countering Exterior

Pernicious Evils. I will go into some of these in detail in another post.

For now I want to mention Bladder 36, Bearing Support. This is one of the

points in which Cold and Wind can enter the body. Bladder 36 is one of

those points which not only can give increased resistence to colds and flu,

it can give increased resistence to other problems associated with Wind and

Cold. A regular program of acupressure can help to decrease tendencies to

certain allergy-like symptoms and their severity. I call it " preventive

maintenance. " Bladder 36 is a general point for increasing resistence to

Cold and Wind. There are other points which will be more specific for

specific individuals when it comes to reducing the tendency to allergy-like

symptoms.

 

Wind can trigger allergy-like symptoms all by itself in susceptible

individuals. When the person is senstive to Wind AND has classic allergies,

this is a one-two punch and the person will be even more miserable than s/he

would be if just one factor was operating.

 

The way that Wind can trigger allergy-like symptoms all by itself also is

why more people tend to have allergies in the spring than at other times of

the year and why allergies tend to be worse during the spring than at other

times of the year. It's not just that the wind is blowing allergens around

though this too is a factor. It's that the wind by itself is triggering

allergic-like symptoms in people susceptible to Wind.

 

If one's allergies or allergy-like symptoms are particularly bad when the

wind blows - and especially if the person has not yet had time to build

resistence - it's a good idea to stay inside with the windows closed and an

air filter/ ionizer on during these days. Forget any outside work or sports

no matter how much you may want to be outside. Sometimes avoidance is the

best treatment - at least until the underlying imbalance has been corrected

and/or resistence has built up. For example, this spring, I've improved to

the point where I can do outside work as long as it's just breezy (and I

don't allow myself to get exhausted). But if the wind is strong, I had

better forego any outside work that day.

 

If you use an air ionizer, make sure the filters have a layer of charcoal as

air ionizers without this charcoal layer in the filter can do more harm than

good.

 

If a person is allergic to a lot of different things and is " miserable year

round " , suspect and rule in or rule out possible Kidney Deficiency. This is

a person who not only is miserable year round because something's always

present that the person is allergic to, this is a person who has a tendency

to develop new allergies. It does no good in the long-run (only the

short-run) for the person to move away from the things s/he is allergic to

because if the tendency to develop allergies is not addressed, the person

will end up developing new allergies to the plants in the new environment.

Arizona is full of allergy sufferers who developed allergies to mesquite,

Russian thistle (tumble weed), Palo Verde, etc. after they moved to Arizona

to get away from all the plants they're bothered by back home.

 

One of the approaches of Western herbalism to treating allergies is the use

of adaptogen herbs in order to strenghten the adrenals and improve the

response to stress. The best adaptogen herbs tend to be immune system

regulators instead of immune system boosters. Immune system response tends

to become more appropriate to circumstances - stepped up when it needs to be

stepped up but toned down when it needs to be. Stinging nettles is an

example of an herb with adaptogen properties. Stinging nettles is effective

for some allergy sufferers.

 

Any vitamins or minerals or supplements which help the immune system and

adrenals by giving them what they need to work appropriately can help in

many cases of allergies and allergy-like symptoms. This includes vitamins C

& A, the B vitamins, zinc, magnesium, etc. Mg plays some key roles in

immune system response and is sometimes used to treat allergies.

 

The herb echinacea has helped many people with allergies because of its

immune system regulating properties. Fennel seed is another herb which gets

used in the treatment of allergies. I'm forwarding in an article which list

other herbs often used to treat allergies. There is no " one size fits all "

herb when it comes to treating allergies. Some herbs work better than

others for different individuals. Cat's Claw did nothing for me, but it has

helped a lot of people with allergies. Sometimes it's a matter of

cautiously try and see what helps. As more information is discovered,

healers are able to predict more reliably exactly which herb will help which

allegy sufferer. For example, in TCM, fennel seed primarily is classified as

an herb for Warming the Interior. It also circulates Qi. It specifically

targets the Spleen, Stomach, Liver, and Kidneys, and as would be expected,

its thermal energy is warming. This herb would tend to be more effective

for allergy sufferers with Interior Cold problems and with Spleen and Kidney

Deficiency than for those who don't have these particular problems.

 

There is no TCM syndrome which corresponds to allergies. Instead, there are

several different TCM syndromes which may have allergies or allergic-like

symptoms as symptoms. For this reason, what helps one person with allergies

from a TCM standpoint may do nothing for another allergy sufferer and may

even make another sicker. What gets treated in TCM are TCM imbalances. As

Bob Flaws often points it, two people can have the same Western-defined

medical condition, but the TCM treatments will be different because the TCM

imbalances are different. Likewise, two people can have different

Western-defined medical conditions but the TCM treatments will be the same

because both have the same TCM imbalances.

 

I want to say a few words specifically about allergies and CFIDS. PWCs

(People With CFIDS) are especially prone to allergies. Some doctors won't

diagnose CFIDS unless allergies also are present. Many PWCs report going

through periods in which existing allergies get worse and they start to

develop allergies/ sensitivities to a lot of other things. What many PWCs

and their doctors are discovering is that very low dosages of thyroid

replacement hormone and prednisone for a very short period of time often

will reverse this problem with worsening existing allergies and the

development of new ones. These are much lower dosages than the usual

dosages and a much shorter time of treatment than is usual with these

medicines. This is NOT an appropriate treatment during all phases of CFIDS,

only when existing allergies are worsening and new allergies/ sensitivities

are developing rapidly. This will not cure the CFIDS; it can stop the

downward allegy spiral in some PWCs.

 

Part 3 will go into digestive system problems and allegies. Very often

digestive system problems are what lead to people developing allergies.

 

Victoria

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Judy Fitzgerald wrote:

> Also, in the case of lung

> congestion and/or some cases of asthma, if you gently press along the spine,

> very often, one or more sore spots will be found. In some of these cases,

> if the person or a family member or friend gently massages the back until

> the sore point eases, the congestion and breathing problems also will ease.

> Be very careful and gentle because sometimes rubbing the sore spot can

> aggravate the breathing problems, especially if the massaging is too

> vigorous.

 

To present another point of view: I've been dealing with lung congestion

for over a week now, and acupuncture and herbs were not having as much

impact as we expected. So, for the last 2 days, very painful

massage/acupressure

was done on a number of points. Gentle is the last thing that it

was...but

it's been very effective. This approach certainly is not to be

undertaken

by someone who is not well trained, but was the right thing to do in

this

case....

Jeri kurvenal

http://www.ameritech.net/users/kurvenal/kurvenal2.html