Hayfever and Chinese Medicine

At the same time each year allergic rhinitis or “hayfever” occurs when flowers and plants are in bloom. People been affected by hayfever can have itching of the nose and eyes, sneezing, watery nasal discharge, headache, irritability and insomnia. It is not very clear about the cause of hayfever, but repeated antibiotics treatment as children, diet high in sugars, dairy products, fruit juices and yeasted grain products may contribute to the immune response of hayfever sufferers.

To prevent hayfever, patients are advised to stay away from the hazards such as outdoor activities during the season, sugars and sweets, dairy products, and so on. Most patients with hayfever symptoms are taking some sort of western medication, such as antihistamine, nasal decongestant spray or cortisone based inhalers. However, those medications may have side effects, and many patients do not want to stay on such drugs for long periods of time as well.

So, can Chinese medicine help? Yes.

Chinese medicine considers airborne pathogens as external wind evils. The Wei Qi, which is the defensive energy, is the first barrier to protect body from those pathogens. Before the hayfever season, we normally use herbal formula or combined acupuncture to strengthen the energy. This theory is similar to western medicine while consider Wei Qi as representing the function of the immune system. This part of the treatment is actually addressing the underlying weakness of hayfever patients to re-strength the body and withstands future attacks of external pathogens.

The symptoms of hayfever also can be treated by herbal medicine and acupuncture. Chinese medicine consider lungs are delicate internal organ which easily affected by externally hazards. The wind evils disturb the lungs ability or so called lungs Qi, so the patients can have running nose, sneezing, and itching. The treatment at this stage is focus on clear wind evils, descend lungs Qi, and resolve phlegm. Each patient has different conditions so that our formulas are designed individually.

For more information of hayfever treatment, please contact our clinic on 03 8802 9808.

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