Guest guest Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 Acupuncture and Allergies by: Heidi M. Hawkins, MAc, LAc Seattle, Washington _heidimo_ (heidimo) _http://www.naetottawa.com/section/?page=article_energetics_and_allergies_ (http://www.naetottawa.com/section/?page=article_energetics_and_allergies) The Energetics of Allergies Allergies are inherently energetic in nature. In Western medicine, they are only measurable when there is a specific detectable immune response; however, most people have had the experience of reacting negatively to something, whether or not they have been diagnosed as " allergic. " What is a negative reaction? A disruption of qi on any level - the creation of phlegm instead of qi by the spleen; an overreactive wei qi response; stagnation of the liver - these are just a few of the more common qi imbalances caused by allergies. Redifining Allergy An energetic definition of allergy is very broad: all " sensitivities " and " intolerances " are included. Energetic definition of allergy does not require immune response to an allergen, only a reaction of some kind: something that disrupts the balance of the person's qi in any way. An allergy calls attention through a reaction to anything a person is not in right relationship with. This could be virtually anything: items found in nature, man-made chemicals, even another person. All allergies are treatable. The Challenge of Treatment For a practitioner of Oriental medicine to address allergies directly, she or he must practice an integrated hybrid of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with Western knowledge. This is not to say we must practice Western medicine or offer a Western diagnosis. On the contrary: we must be more specific and precise. Is it the spleen that is deficient, or is it more accurate to say it is actually the thyroid, which is ruled by the spleen? Yes, it does matter. A more specific treatment is more accurate and therefore more effective. With allergies, accuracy is very important. Western terminology is also easier for Western clients to understand. The energetic nature of allergies is what makes them especially responsive to energetic medicine. Allergies have traditionally been a very difficult and stubborn disorder to treat. The failure of most treatment strategies is overtreating. Allergies or " sensitivities " are about sensitivity. Aggressive treatment of sensitive people or sensitive conditions is hardly the best approach. Treatment of allergies is a challenge to a practitioner to trust in and experiment with the subtlety of TCM. This subtlety is part of the beauty of TCM; it leads back to the Taoist roots of the medicine and the importance of compassion. Part I Acupuncture and Allergies Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Those who view multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) as a real syndrome often describe it as an untreatable condition involving permanent brain damage due to chemical exposure. The defining criteria, as listed on the MCS Referral and Resources Inc. website, includes: a chronic condition, with reproducible symptoms, from low levels of exposure to multiple, unrelated chemicals, the symptoms of which improve or resolve if these chemicals are removed from the sensitive person's environment. In my experience, MCS symptoms can include almost anything. Certainly headaches, neurological dysfunction and digestive problems are common, as are urinary dysfunctions; menstrual complaints; irritability; sensitivity to noise, light and electromagnetic fields; skin disorders; emotional problems; and cognitive disorders. Almost any symptom can be caused by MCS (and usually every system is affected) in traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis. People with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome or attention deficit disorder all have some degree of chemical sensitivity. Sometimes the connection is apparent: a discrete exposure followed by a distinct reaction. However, most sensitivities and allergic reactions are not distinct because many exposures are more or less continuous. It is therefore difficult to associate most reactions with an exposure until a person becomes extremely sensitive. A good example is pesticide exposure. Most people are continuously exposed to pesticides in buildings and on food. If they fly on a commercial airliner or walk into a building that has been recently sprayed with pesticides, they feel worse. If they never leave their homes; haven't used pesticides in their environment in years; eat only organic food; and don't wear new clothes (of natural fibers grown with pesticides), they feel better. For most people, avoiding pesticides is impossible; if they are sensitive, their reactions are chronic. Clearly, chemical pollutants in our environment are the primary culprit in MCS and other allergic problems. It is no wonder MCS is so controversial: it shatters the myth of " safe levels " of toxic chemicals in our environment. As our environment becomes more toxic, we become more overloaded with toxins, and more people become sensitive and allergenic. Subsequent generations are born allergic, as it is a basic law of allergies that a child will inherit a tendency for both parent's allergies. Sensitivities and allergies usually become more severe and more deeply ingrained in the person's constitution over time. Increased toxicity levels in the body cause increased reactivity. Humanity is becoming more allergic and more sensitive, and our collective karma for our toxic lifestyles and shameless priorities comes due. A commonly repeated scenario in my practice is as follows: a person grows up in our toxic environment, eats processed food full of chemicals, and gets cavities. Dental cavities are commonly filled with " silver " amalgam fillings (50% mercury plus silver, copper, tin and zinc). According to Dr. Hal Huggins, the dentist who pioneered the safest protocol for the removal of these fillings, 90% of the population is allergic to mercury; 95% is allergic to copper. The person's health is compromised by the fillings in many ways, including the following: mercury follows a kidney pattern in Chinese medicine, lodging primarily in the brain, bones, teeth, pituitary gland and kidneys. Endocrine functions are thrown out of balance; brain damage ensues; and sinus, ear and bladder infections are all common. Each time the person chews, mercury is released and enters the digestive system, ultimately compromising digestion. Mercury has the paradoxical nature of being both hot and cold simultaneously in its actions on the body. Mercury's cold nature harms the spleen; its hot nature harms the kidney and heart yin. Mercury toxic environments are ideal for invasive fungal strains of candida albicans, which then proliferates in the sinus cavities, ears, bladder and gut in particular. The invasive, damp nature of candida further compromises the spleen and causes " leaky gut " syndrome by perforating the intestines, which shows up as yin deficiency of the colon. It is commonly believed that food particles that are too large pass through the compromised intestinal wall into the blood system are then attacked as foreign intruders; thus, food allergies are born. Candida dumps acetaldehyde into the system, which is damp, extremely toxic, and affects the liver in particular. Each time the person inhales, they breathe in mercury vapors continually from their fillings, especially when they chew, clench or grind their teeth. The person now has spleen deficiency, kidney yin deficiency, large intestine yin deficiency, heart yin deficiency, liver qi stagnation, liver dampness and lung qi deficiency. They may have a great deal of phlegm and dampness in their systems. They are allergic to metals, foods and food chemicals, and are especially allergic to aldehydes, petroleum products and mercury. Pesticides follow a petroleum pattern: hot and systemic. (The body translates allergies from one item to another as if they are similar.) This person has become reactive to most (if not all) chemicals. This person has little in reserve to handle a major stress. They may or may not have serious or overt allergy symptoms, but generally they do not feel well. Now imagine of the person's home or office gets remodeled; they get a new car; or they move into a brand new building, any of which involves a major exposure to formaldehyde, a substance prevalent in new, man-made materials. At this point, the person's health collapses. They easily become a universal reactor, allergic to everything. The factors in this scenario are at work on all of us to a greater or lesser extent. Each if us has a unique threshold of toxicity tolerance that, when overwhelmed, leads to allergies. Some people can tolerate this chemical onslaught better than others, but no one is unaffected. Most people have allergies they are unaware of, and allergies tend to get worse over time, leading to a myriad of health imbalances. In my next column, we will discuss treating " untreatable " conditions and healing " permanent " brain damage. Part II Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Part II: The Challenge of Treatment People with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) often have a sense of hopelessness about the possibility of recovery. When you consider the folly of mainstream medicine treating a person who is highly reactive to chemicals with medications that are themselves chemicals, it's easy to see how people get that impression. " Untreatable " and " psychosomatic " are familiar words to people with MCS. Of course TCM has something to offer, as do other forms of natural medicine. My findings, however, have led me to realize that treating MCS requires accuracy and specificity beyond what many practitioners are prepared to deliver. First, Do No Harm It is highly likely that people with MCS may react negatively to treatment. They are often suffering from deeply entrenched deficiencies as well as severe stagnation. It is important to understand that people with MCS react to levels of chemicals that pass unnoticed to most people. They can easily react to metal and impurities in or on acupuncture needles, and moxa smoke lingering in the office. They are very likely to react to perfume, cologne, hairspray or other scented products if the practitioner is wearing these, or if a previous client left a cloud of perfume in her wake. People with MCS often have plenty of food allergies as well, meaning they may well be allergic to herbs themselves (or quickly become so). Many herbal products have toxic chemicals on them, such as pesticides. Any supplement runs the hazard of containing chemical pollutants, especially if it is packaged in plastic bottles, which invariably off-gas toxins into the product. Energetic testing methods are extremely useful for checking herbal formulae or supplements prior to dispensing them to a chemically sensitive person. (Please see " Allergies and Medical Divination " in the October 2000 issue.) Less Is More Treating people with MCS requires the understanding that what works for everyone else may not work for this client. A patient with MCS may be highly sensitive to needles. Treating with fewer points and less invasive techniques is often the most successful method. I do not use Japanese style acupuncture techniques in my practice, but I imagine that the more subtle techniques of some Japanese-style approaches would also be a good choice for a practitioner who is skilled in that area. In my experience, I have found medical qi gong and allergy relief systems to be the most successful. Neither of these treatments requires needles, moxa or herbs, but instead involves working very directly with a person's qi, blood, fluids, organs and yin/yang balance, as well as directly treating toxicity and other imbalances. Treatment and Detox Toxicity is inherent in people with MCS. People do not become chemically sensitive until their bodies are overwhelmed with toxins. MCS is a survival mechanism. If people become violently ill whenever exposed to something, they will do their best to avoid that substance if they are able to determine what it is they are reacting to. MCS is the body's last-ditch effort to stave off more exposure to toxins. Stimulating detoxification in such a person can be extremely hazardous. Utmost caution with the most refined treatment is required. The smallest thing can set off people with MCS. The chemically sensitive have essentially lost the ability to detoxify their systems, due to the extensive damage particularly to the liver, as well as the kidneys. They desperately need to detoxify, but of course, react severely if they do. It is also important not to ignore emotional factors in people with chemical sensitivities. Everywhere they go and everything they do contains a potential threat to their health. The stress is immense. Add to this the probability that they have already been to a myriad of health practitioners who misdiagnose them, refuse to believe them, or treat them as if they are overreacting or exaggerating their problems. These people have usually already had a variety of treatments that don't work, help little, or make them worse. Their trust in practitioners is compromised, and they are often at their wit's end. Many people with MCS simply accept the prevailing belief that their problems are untreatable and learn to live with it through a lifestyle dependent upon the near-impossible task of total avoidance. Hopelessness prevails. A skilled practitioner can offer hope to people with MCS. Detoxifyng such a client requires proceeding slowly and carefully, but it must be done. They cannot recover without detoxifyng the chemicals that are overwhelming them. It is also especially important to heal the liver as it clears out chemicals. The Big Picture It is important to recognize that none of us are safe from MCS. People who are sick now are the canaries in the coalmine, but we are all in that same mine. There is an element of sacrifice on the spiritual level, of willingness to be a wake-up call for all of humanity. People with MCS often feel like victims of a world out of control. We are all spiritual beings, and as a society, we have been separate from nature for too long. Working against nature must ultimately fail, and the chemically sensitive among us are shattering the myth of " better living through chemistry. " It is time for the human race to take the next step on our evolutionary path. We must learn how to live in the cesspool we have collectively created and learn how to stop destroying our environment. We must evolve our technologies to work in harmony with nature, with the goal of total sustainability. Implied in this evolution is the evolution of medical technology itself: working with the inherent flexibility of traditional Chinese medicine, remaining true to the intent and history of TCM without dogmatic adherence to ways that do not serve us at this time. The spiritual and intuitive tradition of Taoist TCM is highly sustainable, and is the most in need of reviving. This is our future, our children's future, and the future of our sacred planet. The chemically sensitive challenge us as practitioners to refine our technique for the future. ADD/ADHD and Allergies Children (and adults) with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) pose a variety of challenges for any practitioner who wishes to treat them. People with ADD/ADHD invariably have allergies, the most common and problematic of which tend to be chemical. Food chemicals such as artificial flavors; artificial colors; artificial sweeteners; and preservatives are often the biggest offenders. In addition, processed food and pesticides are likely to pose problems for such sensitive people. Processed sugar tops the list. Other common problematic chemical allergies include most laundry detergents, fabric softeners and laundry chemicals. Cleaning chemicals typically used in the home, school, office, and other public buildings are also usually allergenic. Lifestyle recommendations for people with ADD/ADHD can help minimize reactions. Obvious choices would be: - Using safe laundry soaps and household cleaners, such as those in health food stores. - --- Eating organic, natural foods. - Avoiding junk food religiously. - Avoiding unnecessary chemicals, especially in the home. - In addition, foods that are particularly hot, stagnating or phlegm-producing should be avoided. This includes dairy products; wheat; hot, spicy food; peanuts; most commercial fruit juices; and especially processed starchy foods such as bread and pasta. Avoiding such toxins and unhealthy lifestyle choices would benefit all of us. However, with highly sensitive people, it is essential. To me, this is the bottom line with people with ADD/ADHD -- they are highly sensitive. Reducing toxic stress and unhealthy eating practices will benefit them, but will not change who and what they are. Our Western world of overstimulation and constant entertainment/marketing ploys is unhealthy for us all, but we are not all the same. Some of us are more affected by what is wrong in our world than others, and that is consistently true of people with ADD/ADHD. It is typical of people with allergies to seek, crave and become addicted to what they are allergic to. This includes the overstimulation of television; action movies; computer games; bright fluorescent lights; stimulating drugs; and junk food. The world is so overwhelming that people may seek to numb themselves in a variety of ways. That which is wrong is so very wrong that people may blame themselves or assume they need medication; are ill; or are somehow defective if this sick world makes them sick. Who is really sick? Television marketing, with rapid flashing imagery that numbs the mind, or the person whose mind is overwhelmed and sickened into seeking ever more intense stimulation? Where is the solution to our toxic culture and the sickness it creates? Ritalin works on the energy system of a person in the same way: it is a stimulant. It strengthens what is already in excess, and creates stagnation and heat in the body. It adds to the problem, but makes it so severe that the person with ADD/ADHD must shut down or self-destruct. The more sensitive a person is, the more challenging it is to live in this world. For those who understand traditional Chinese medicine, here is the information according to the principles: - Ritalin - hot and stagnating - Food chemicals - hot and stagnating - Pesticides and cleaners in schools, etc. -- also hot and stagnating, though some chemicals are cold and stagnating - Laundry detergent, fabric softeners - warm and toxic, except bleach, which is cold and extremely toxic. To put it bluntly, people with ADD/ADHD are less tolerant of garbage. They are canaries in the cultural coalmine in the way that the chemically sensitive are canaries in the chemical coalmine. People with allergies are trying to wake us up to what needs to change in our world. Perhaps people with allergies are more evolved? Not all people diagnosed with ADD/ADHD follow the pattern laid out in this article, because such a catch-all diagnosis tends to be overused. Some people are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD because of drug problems or history (recreational or medicinal) or brain injury from a parent's drug/alcohol abuse history. The two syndromes are not mutually exclusive, however, and it is becoming increasingly common to find them together. The solutions are certainly challenging. Every person can be cured of allergi es, but will that make our world a safe and healthy place to live? People with ADD/ADHD generally need far less stimulation than they are getting. They need discipline of the spiritual and cultural type, not the heavy-handed " because I said so! " kind of discipline many of us grew up with. They need the kind of discipline that lets them know they have a place in the world, a purpose and a sense of belonging, and they are expected to contribute. Many find that most adults cannot provide or sustain these things for their children or community, and are baffled and bewildered by the downward spiral of people who seek things that are self-destructive for such a sensitive individual. Heidi M. Hawkins, MAc, LAc Seattle, Washington _heidimo_ (heidimo) _www.scn.org/acu_ (http://www.scn.org/acu) All content herein © 2004-07 NAET Clinic of Ottawa (http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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