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acupuncture for allergies

How Acupuncture Works for Natural Allergy Relief

acupuncture allergies digestion naet

We have a 3-pronged approach for handling allergies and most people start to see results in just a couple of treatments.  

1. Acupuncture 

Acupuncture reduces inflammation caused by allergies or sensitivities.  Within minutes, you feel symptoms like congestion or headache going away. 

2. Herbal medicines

Herbs and natural, food-based supplements treat underlying infections related to allergies, help open the sinuses, and balance your immune system.  Natural solutions help you feel better without the side-effects of medications. 

3.  NAET 

NAET stands for Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique, a natural allergy treatment that's helped thousands of people around the world rid their bodies of allergic symptoms permanently.

TYPES OF ALLERGIES and SENSITIVITIES 

Sinus Allergies 

Seasonal allergies can manifest as headaches, mold allergies, congestion, runny nose, sneezing, infections, shortness of breath, asthma, cough, ear paindizziness, throat drainage, or red, itchy, and watery eyes

Many chronic cases of sinusitis are rooted in an ongoing mold sensitivity and possibly infection, and this often goes undiagnosed by most physicians.  In fact, frequent antibiotic use for sinus infections will make the underlying cause (fungal infection) worse. 

Surgeries that repair the deviated septum are often unsuccessful because they’re not addressing the root cause – mold and yeast.  We can diagnose this through our testing process, and through nutritional foods and herbs, rebalance your body’s immune system. 

Here are some other natural tips for clearing congestion and infection of the sinuses:  

1.  Saline rinse:  get a neti-pot or an over-the-counter sinus spray with a saline (salt water) solution to physically remove the congestion. 

Also: try COLLOIDAL SILVER*.  A few squirts in your nostrils (you can also use this on kids, pets, and eyes) during an infection every 4 hours or so will clear it up quick. 

*Never use colloidal silver long-term.  Only use it when necessary.  If the infection persists for more than 1 week, seek an alternative medicine doctor like an acupuncturist for further assistance.

2.  Use heat:  hot compresses on your head used several times a day help ease the pain.  Spicy foods like horseradish, salsa, and wasabi can loosen and expel the phlegm.

3.  Aromatherapy:  good, old-fashioned Vick’s vaporub is still in my medicine cabinet!  Also, you can try eucalyptus oil (a few drops) or peppermint essential oil in a pot of hot water simmering on the stove-top or in a crock-pot (better than a humidifier which can get moldy easily).

4. Chinese herbs:  there are many Chinese herbal remedies to open the sinuses (cang er san, xin yi san, etc.) and several herbs that also work to clear infection (ban lan gen, huang bai, long dan, etc.).  A good herbalist can make you a customized formula to work with your body’s constitution and help you feel better within days…and actually help your immune system work better in the process!

Skin Allergies 

Problems like eczema, hives, or dermatitis are often rooted in food sensitivities.  They could also be linked to environmental or chemical allergies, toxins, or pathogens. 

We use NRT (Nutritional Response Testing) to see which foods or chemicals may be causing the problem.  From there, we make diet recommendations and prescribe nutritional foods and herbs to help you heal.  

Food Allergies 

Food allergies or sensitivities can be diagnosed through a Nutritional Response Test (NRT).  We sometimes recommend you try a 21-day avoidance to narrow down specific sensitivities.  In many cases, we can reverse the sensitivity with NAET or through a period of avoidance. 

In some cases, as with Celiac disease or severe lactose intolerance, you may need to permanently avoid those foods.  But this is something we can offer guidance about in our clinic.

Chemical Allergies 

These can include reactions to smoke, perfume, formaldehyde (new car scent, for example), and pollution.  NAET can help reduce your sensitivity and reaction.  Nutritional foods and herbs can reduce your body’s toxicity load and thereby reduce your reactions to chemicals.    

Anaphylactic Reactions 

This is an allergy causing a severe, life-threatening reaction.  Many times the throat and eyes can swell shut.  Other symptoms include:  abdominal pain or cramping, difficult breathing,  cough, hives, anxiety, dizziness, heart palpitations, or diarrhea.  

Common anaphylactic substances include peanuts or other nuts, bee or insect stings, medications such as aspirin or sulfa drugs.  NAET can clear these allergens, but the process is more complex than other allergies and may require up to 20 treatments.  

KIDS TREATMENT

We can treat kids and babies too!  They won't need needles unless acupuncture is specifically requested.  

The year I spent working in a preschool was the year I was sick more often than I’d ever been in my entire life.  Kids seem like they’re always getting runny noses and little viruses of some sort.  Their immune systems are still maturing.  Provided they have a good nutritional base and they’re fairly healthy, the recovery is usually quick with the right tools. 

HEALTHY BABIES AND INFANTS

Most babies are – thankfully – born healthy, and it’s just an issue of maintaining that health.  Breast milk is the best milk, but if that’s not an option, milk banks or finding a raw milk distributor is the next best thing.  If you opt for formula, be cautious of the quality and research the company behind it with scrutiny.  

We carry pediatric herbs for issues like respiratory infections, constipation, skin issues, and reflux. 

Baby reflux is not a dis-ease (I've never seen a baby NOT get it; they almost always grow out of it unless you start messing around with medications), so don’t fret too much if your infant spits up a little bit after eating.  Their digestive valves are still developing.  

The best first foods for baby are exceptionally fatty – egg yolks, liver, and avocado. Soft fruits and cooked vegetables are perfect as well.  

Stay away from grains – yes, even the ubiquitous rice cereal – until around 2 years of age.  Baby’s digestive system just isn’t ready for that yet.  Introducing grains too early can lead to development of food sensitivities. 

HYPERACTIVITY 

In Chinese medicine, we say that children have “unformed Qi.”  In other words, their Qi – lifeforce energy – is still running wild.  Kids move around a lot and that’s totally normal.  Doctors or teachers who want to medicate your child into passivity is doing your kid a huge disservice.  Many cases of hyperactivity are related to undiagnosed food allergies or nutritional deficiencies.  This is something we can help you figure out in our clinic.  

IMMUNE FUNCTION, ALLERGIES, AND DIGESTION

Kids’ Lung and Large Intestine systems are the most vulnerable to illness.  That’s why the most common childhood health problems revolve around those areas:  allergies, respiratory illness, and digestion (usually constipation).

In regards to digestion, kids naturally are drawn to the foods that they need.  Listen to what they’re craving (just as you should with yourself too!).  Craving sugar?  They may be eating too many sweets and are getting low blood sugar, thereby increasing the cravings.  Instead, fill them up with protein, high-fiber foods, and healthy fats. 

Fruit can also do the trick of steering them away from cookies and such.  My kids, when I’m trying to steer them away from sugar, will always go for a fruit smoothie made with raw, whole milk and whey protein or a bowl of sliced fruit.

If they’re not allergic to dairy, you can try full-fat, plain and raw milk for them to drink.  Yogurt or cheese is fine too.  Just 2 precautions here:  possible allergy or the quality of the dairy is not good.  With skin conditions or chronic allergies, it’s best to do a 3-week elimination of all dairy and gluten to test it.

Gluten, processed white flour products, and sugar should be reduced or eliminated.  For everyone. 

Cook and eat healthy meals at home, and have sit-down meals together as often as possible.  I’m a big fan of “you don’t have to finish your plate, but you do have to taste it.”  I don’t make my kids eat food they hate, but they have to at least taste it.  And I’ll ask them after they taste something new, “What did you think about it?  Was it (salty/crunchy/sweet/etc.)?”  It gets them off the “I hate it!” bandwagon and into thinking for themselves.  

With the “back-to-school cough,” I use pediatric herbal formulas that we have in our clinic.  Other acupuncture clinics may stock these as well.  The company is Blue Poppy and I keep their formulas “Tummy Qi,” “Lung Qi,” “Allerease,” and “CQ Jr.” on hand just in case.

Tummy Qi is for upset stomach or bowel trouble.

Lung Qi is for cough without infection (fever) 

CQ Jr is for fever or any type of infection.

Allerease is for runny nose or allergies without infection.

Dosages are 1/2 droppers for infants up to 4 droppers for old kids (age 10-12).  I don’t typically use these long-term, but just as needed, 1 week at a time at the most.

If there’s a short-term infection, we use fish oil and congaplex (food-based immune support) – 1 of each every 2 hours.  Or something close to that.  Food and herb-based medicine is not an exact science; nothing bad is going to happen if you give your kid a little extra beets or carrots!

HEALTH MAINTENANCE

For long-term wellness, I keep my kids on a regular dose of food-based vitamins.  I use fish oil:  1 tablet for each 20 pounds of body weight; congaplex for immune system health (1 tablet per 10 pounds of body weight); and catalyn – a multi (1 tablet per 10 pounds of body weight).

Give us a call or email if you need more tips for keeping your kids healthy all year long.  No one is ever too young to start being healthy.

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