Allergy season in NYC is just around the corner, which can be a particularly difficult time because we spend a good amount of time walking outside even when pollen counts are particularly high.
Yes, medications exist to help with these problems but for some these medications may cause drowsiness, dry mouth, or dizziness. Thankfully, there is a way to deal with these issues without medication. In our Manhattan Acupuncture office, I have been treating allergies and have found acupuncture to be very beneficial for allergy symptoms and sinus issues.
Acupuncture is one of the best procedures for alleviating inflammation. Most often when we think of inflammation we think of pain, especially within the musculoskeletal system. However, inflammation may be present in other systems as well. When people present with allergies and sinus problems, inflammation is present within the sinuses.
Within the acupuncture channel system, there are 3 channels, which distinctively flow through the sinuses. The classical indicator symptoms of nasal congestion, runny nose, and bleeding nose, are listed in the following channels. These channels include the large intestine, the stomach, and the urinary bladder channels.
The lung channel plays a role in immunity and opens into the nose. This channel is usually treated in addition to the other channels when allergies are acute/seasonal. If allergies present year around, this indicates the kidney channel may also be involved as well. In TCM theory the kidneys rule the bones and the marrow. Our white blood cells are produced in this area of the body.
Other channels that may be of interest depending on the signs and symptoms include the liver channel and the heart channel. Although the channels do not specifically mention passing through the sinuses or list allergy symptoms in the classical indicators, the channels pass from the roof of the mouth into the eye system. These channels must pass through the sinuses as they flow into the eyes.
Treating Allergies with Acupuncture: Case Study
The first case is a woman is her 40’s who caught a cold during the holiday season. She was treated with acupuncture and herbs at another clinic in an attempt to reduce the severity of the cold symptoms. Although after some time her energy improved she continued to have a runny nose with lots of sneezing and coughing whenever she went outside into the cold. Upon examination of her herbal formulas, she was given herbal formulas, which are cold in nature. Cold herbs are classified as having antiviral properties in Chinese medicine, yet the classics warn against their use unless someone has a hot disease. Hot illnesses have symptoms such as green nasal discharge, feelings of heat and/or fever, and dry mouth.
She had none of these symptoms. It states that giving bitter cold medicinals can prolong illness, which occurred in this case. Because she saw me many months after the illness, it did take some time to resolve completely, yet she found relief after the first session and continued to improve with additional treatments. She found zero relief for her condition while being treated with acupuncture and herbs at the other clinic.
Our second case involves treating my physical therapist colleague Anastasia. She was having nasal congestion and frontal headaches, which she described as “pain higher into the sinuses.”
After performing palpations, she exhibited pathology along the large intestine channels. We did a basic TCM treatment that consisted of Large Intestine 4, Lung 7, Large Intestine 20, and the Governing Vessel, which passes along the ethmoid sinus (higher sinuses). She found immediate relief in her headache and nasal congestion. She was also given instructions to perform manual therapy on the obstructions in her large intestine channels.
The condition continued to improve and resolve the next couple of days after our treatment. In addition, she noted changes in her digestive system. You can see the video of her needle placement in the video. The great benefit of working in our Midtown New York City integrative medicine clinic is that we can treat each other as new issues develop and prevent acute conditions from becoming chronic
