Elements and the seasons...

[Guest guest]

Message: 2

Thu, 3 Jul 2003 11:00:57 -0300 (ART)

marcos l <ishk18

Fwd: Re: Re: Elements and the seasons

 

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Two of my daughters have extreme conditions with what I perceive to be

allergies. Upon awakening, one has a morning ritual of sneezing, which she

seems to get over within thirty minutes, while the other seems to have recently

developed an ongoing head/nasal stuffiness, with contant sneezing.

 

I bought " Claritin-D For Kids " which seems like the answer, except that I'm

wondering how long I should keep them on it (it can only be taken 1 time per

24-hour period), or if I should go ahead and have our physician check them out.

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Have your physician check them out. Your doctor probably will refer

them to an allergist for testing. This will include testing for

allergies to molds as well as to pollens and other substances.

 

You also may want to learn more about allergies and sinus problems

from a TCM perspective. There is a good, basic book for beginners

called Curing Hay Fever Naturally with by Bob Flaws,

Blue Poppy Press.

 

In chapter 3 Flaws touches on some of the TCM imbalances that can

underlie allergies and sinus problems: Invasion by Wind Evil (see

the recent posts on Wind Heat and Wind Cold), a weak Spleen, weak

Kidneys, and Liver Qi Stagnation.

 

Pernicious Evils (Wind, Cold, Heat, Dryness, and Dampness) aren't

just restricted to weather conditions. There can be artificial

weather conditions - like those created by heating and cooling

systems in a building. Sitting in a draft from a fan, air

conditioner, or furnance blower can have the same effect as being

outside in the wind.

 

When houses are too dry because of cooling or heating systems, this

can create problems which include increased sneezing, coughing,

tickles in the throat, sinus problems, and susceptibility to

infection. Houses that are too damp can trigger health problems.

 

Make sure that furnance and AC filters are changed regularly as not

only does this result in increased efficiency for the units, they

filter out some allergens in the air. If your daughters have

allergies, you may want to get an air freshener and ionizer. Back in

the days when my own allergies were severe, this was a big help.

 

Flaws's book gives some detail about helping the Spleen. One of the

worst foods from a TCM standpoint is ice cream. It's dairy, it's

fatty, it's overly sweet, and it's COLD. Dairy and wheat are

notorious for engendering Dampness, and the Spleen does not like

Dampness. It's very vulnerable to Dampness. It also doesn't like

Cold. The Stomach has a hard time properly " rotting and ripening "

foods which are cold or raw. The Kidneys are the most vulnerable to

Cold, and can be damaged by it.

 

Flaws's book also lists (with drawings) some of the acupoints that

are helpful in treating hay fever. (You may also want to check out

Acupressure's Potent Points by Michael Reed Gach for addition

points.) The girls can learn to do acupressure on themselves

throughout the day - as they ride to or from school, while watching

TV, while sitting in class, etc. Flaws recommends a lot of

repetitions in one session and mentions the use of a special " hammer "

for tapping acupoints. These are not necessary. A few seconds of

prssing acupoints at various times throughout the day can do a lot

and can lead to increased resistence to certain health problems.

 

You may also want to do a search in the Chinese Traditional Medicine message base

for " allergies " and for " sinus " .

 

One of the problems with long-term antihistamine use is that kids in

particular as well as adults can start haivng adverse reactions to

them. What results in some cases are anxiety-like and even panic-

like attacks (as well as increased pulse rate, increased blood

pressure, overly dry membrames, aggitation, etc.). Whenever I hear

that a person is having anxiety or panic attacks, my first question

is, " Are you taking any kind of over the counter or prescription

antihistamine? " These reactions are fairly common. In cases where a

person is reacting to antihistamines but absolutely needs one, the

doctor may be able to work with the person in order to find one which

does not cause a reaction. (This had to be done in my case though

even with the two " safe " ones I couldn't take the full dose of one of

them.)

 

The concept of Wind in TCM not only includes wind and drafts but also

changes in barometric pressure and changes in ion concentrations in

the air.

 

The fact that the attacks are worst in the morning when they get up

is significant from both a Western allopathic standpoint and a TCM

standpoint. From a Western standpoint, this suggests possible

problems with molds and/or low blood sugar. (Allergies often tend to

be worst when blood sugar is low.) From a TCM standpoint it suggests

possible Spleen and Kidney imbalances. (The TCM concept of the

Kidneys is not the same as the anatomical kidneys. The TCM concept

of the Kidneys includes many of the functions of the adrenal glands.

Just as the TCM concept of the Spleen also includes many of the

functions of the pancreas. TCM Organs are collections of functions.)

 

> Two of my daughters have extreme conditions with what I perceive to

be allergies. Upon awakening, one has a morning ritual of sneezing,

which she seems to get over within thirty minutes, while the other

seems to have recently developed an ongoing head/nasal stuffiness,

with contant sneezing.

>

> I bought " Claritin-D For Kids " which seems like the answer, except

that I'm wondering how long I should keep them on it (it can only be

taken 1 time per 24-hour period), or if I should go ahead and have

our physician check them out.