Traditional use of acupuncture for seasonal allergies

“Preventive medicine” has been making a buzz in recent decades and more and more people are taking heed, but traditional Chinese medical practices have been revolving around this concept of “treating an illness before it manifests” for thousands of years. In relation to helping combat seasonal allergies, ancient practitioners have this to say: that the best time to treat illnesses of the summer is during winter, and the best time to treat illnesses of the winter is during summer.

 

Contaminants in the air are the main culprits that cause seasonal allergies. Allergies appear because the body considers these contaminants harmful, though others may not consider the contaminants as such. Prime among these would be pollen during spring and autumn. These seasonal allergies severely affect nearly 30 million Americans. Millions more affected to a milder but still cumbersome degree. The symptoms they have to battle through include allergic rhinitis; itchy nose, eyes, and palate; watery eyes and nose; and difficulty breathing, among others. A large amount of money each year goes to the purchase of medicine and treatments, but most of these only deal with the symptoms.

 

Acupuncture seeks to deal with the underlying reason that the body is susceptible to allergens. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that chronic allergic reactions represent the body’s reduced ability to adjust to changes in its environment precipitated by the often-abrupt turning of the seasons. It believes, then, that the best way to strengthen the body against these unavoidable environmental changes is to do it when the need for that strength is still far off. In other words, months before the triggering seasons roll in.

 

 

Recent research about acupuncture for seasonal allergies

A recent study about acupuncture’s effectiveness for helping manage seasonal allergies produced some very interesting results. The 422 participants who have this condition were divided into three groups. One group received 12 acupuncture treatments plus antihistamine medication when necessary. Another group received 12 “sham” acupuncture treatments wherein needles were also inserted, but over points that had no real relevance to their condition. The group also received antihistamine medication when necessary. The third group, meanwhile, served as controls and only took antihistamine medication.

 

Two months after receiving the treatments, all groups were asked about how their symptoms have improved (if they did) and how much antihistamine medication they had to take. Those who had undergone actual acupuncture treatments reported a need for fewer antihistamines. Their symptoms were considerably less severe compared to the other groups. However, even the group that received the “sham” treatment reported fewer symptoms and less medication taken. This suggests that there may have been a placebo effect contributing to the improvement.

 

More research on this matter is necessary. This result may mean that untargeted acupuncture can also have a positive effect when it comes to improving conditions, not just seasonal allergies.

 

 

How acupuncture for seasonal allergies works

 

As stated before, the best way traditional Chinese medicine could help with seasonal allergies is by taking the preventive approach. This often means that acupuncture wouldn’t be the only modality involved; the acupuncturist might also prescribe herbal remedies as well as suggest changes in diet. During an acupuncture treatment, the main objective would be to restore the balance of energy within the body that may be contributing to a weakened immunity against allergens. Ideally, this would simultaneously address not only the symptoms of seasonal allergies but also the possible underlying causes.

 

But even when the allergy is already underway, acupuncture could still offer considerable measures of relief by helping ease inflammation and reduce stress, which may be contributing to the condition. Acupuncture would induce the release of chemicals in the body, including natural painkillers and mood boosters.

 

 

About acupuncture in Santa Barbara Herb Clinic

 

Here at the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic, we believe in preventive care and wellness. We also believe in tailoring traditional Chinese medicine’s modalities to suit each individual patient’s condition. This way, we can help them in the best way possible.

 

The clinic’s owner and lead acupuncturist, Tram Pham, L.Ac., is a proponent of the Balance Method of distal healing, which she learned under its Master and pioneer, the late Dr. Richard Tan. This system of acupuncture focuses heavily on holistic healing, which means it doesn’t just seek to treat the main ailment, but also its root cause. Tram is also an herbalist and operates the clinic’s Herbal Pharmacy. Our Pharmacy boasts an extensive stock of medicinal powders, teas, pills, and herbs.

 

Contact us to set a consultation appointment, which Tram can also conduct through a phone or video call. We also offer the service of sending prescribed herbal remedies through mail if you live far from the Santa Barbara area.

 

 

References

https://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/Relieve+Your+Seasonal+Allergies+with+Acupuncture

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/19/health/acpuncture-allergies/index.html

 

http://www.cityacu.net/blog/acupuncture-for-seasonal-allergies-treatment-starts-early

 

Achieving maximum wellness sometimes boils down to three things: proper nutrition, regular physical activity, and effective rest. There are times, however, when factors get in the way of our achieving these things. In particular, insomnia and the inability to get effective rest at the end of a long day are chief concerns for many. However, acupuncture for insomnia can help you finally get some much-needed shut-eye.

 

There are many causes of poor sleep or insomnia in today’s society. This includes but is not limited to constant and high levels of stress, chronic pain, or another ailment wherein sleeplessness is simply a byproduct. Meanwhile, we should never discount the hazards of not getting enough restful sleep. Among other things, it could lead to heightened aggression, anxiety, increased weight, weakened immune function, higher risk of blood pressure, and difficulty concentrating. In turn, this could lead to reduced decision-making capabilities, poorer job performance, and even life-threatening situations.

 

A growing number of people are not embracing acupuncture for insomnia as a non-pharmaceutical solution to sleep problems. Other than that, it can also be an alternative option to improve overall well-being. There’s actually little conscious choice involved in the matter. Because practitioners intend for traditional Chinese medicine to work holistically, it doesn’t work on a piecemeal basis.

 

 

Medications vs acupuncture for insomnia

As with many things involving Western medical practices, sleep medications only work to address the symptom of sleeplessness itself. They do nothing to address the underlying causes. This means that if the medications stop, the symptoms return, often with a vengeance. The only other choice with this option is to continually take the medications for as long as they’re needed. However, this more often than not might mean taking sleep medications for life. Doing so presents other, even more dangerous risks, including addiction and damage to internal organs.

 

There is a growing body of research on the use of acupuncture for various issues. These studies have found exceedingly few dangers to the millennia-old healing modality—certainly not the dangers presented in the alternative above. Instead, people would often find themselves going in for a series of treatments for a specific condition. Afterward, they come out of them feeling better than anticipated, simply because the other issues they’ve long ignored have also benefited from the experience.

 

 

How acupuncture can help regulate sleep

 

Different people experience insomnia or other sleep issues in a way that’s specific to them. In broad terms, this may include the following:

 

• General difficulty falling asleep
• Multiple sleep disturbances during the night
• Inability to fall back into sleep after a disturbance
• Unrestful and/or nightmare-plagued sleep

 

To address these diverse sleep problems, the acupuncturist would do a consultation and give a diagnosis, after which she or he would tailor acupuncture techniques along with other traditional Chinese healing modalities, all to suit the specific needs of the patient.

 

We should take into account that it would likely take more than a single session for lasting effects to be felt. This is because practitioners consider acupuncture for insomnia, or for any other issue, to be a corrective procedure. It might take several sessions before the body could recognize its rehabilitation into its proper, healthy and well-functioning state.

 

Specifically, acupuncture can help regulate and improve sleep by directly targeting the possible root of the issue, not just the symptom. The owner and main acupuncture practitioner in Santa Barbara Herb Clinic is Ms. Tram Pham, L.Ac. Having studied under the late Master Dr. Richard Tan, she employs the acupuncture system known as the Balance Method, blended with other traditional Chinese medicine practices, to accomplish desired outcomes.

 

Learn more about how acupuncture can help maintain your overall health and wellness.

 

 

How acupuncture works

The acupuncturist would zero in on distal points in the body’s energy pathways that, while not immediately obvious, have links to the possible problem areas. Stimulating these points could simultaneously trigger the body’s response to threat and facilitate the start of healing for the real, underlying issue. Acupuncture can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, for instance. Meanwhile, it can induce the release of serotonin, which the body converts into melatonin to achieve sleep. The more of this neurotransmitter the body has, the better the quality of sleep at night.

 

That’s not all serotonin is good for. It could also help regulate mood, which means that acupuncture’s effects could also be felt during daylight by promoting the body’s relaxation and the mind’s calmness. By targeting a possible root cause of insomnia like chronic pain, acupuncture could also stabilize the flow of energy within the body; by getting it to achieve proper balance, it could start functioning as it should, releasing natural painkillers and eventually starting the process of self-healing. This is a cycle deeply rooted in the Chinese concept of yin and yang.

 

 

About acupuncture in Santa Barbara Herb Clinic

Licensed acupuncturists insert long, thin needles into the energy points in the skin to achieve results for this condition and for others. If that sounds alarming, worry not. Acupuncture for insomnia at the Santa Barbara Herb Clinic involve premium Japanese needles that are thinner and sharper. This means that there’s typically minimal pain even with regular acupuncture needles. However, for sensitive patients, especially children, these one-off use needles offer reduced sensation. Their use comes at no extra cost.

 

The clinic also operates an Herbal Pharmacy with a range of medicinal powders, teas, herbs, and pills that may be prescribed in conjunction with the main acupuncture treatment, as well as the clinic’s other therapeutic services offered, including tui na, fire cupping, and moxibustion. Even if you live outside Santa Barbara, you can benefit from the clinic’s services by setting a consultation through video or phone call. We could also mail your prescribed herbal remedies wherever you live in the country.

 

 

 

References

https://www.pacificcollege.edu/news/blog/2014/10/03/acupuncture-insomnia-and-sleep-disorders

 

https://blog.bulletproof.com/how-to-cure-insomnia-with-acupuncture/

 

https://www.insomnia.net/natural-remedies/acupuncture/

 

https://sleepjunkies.com/health/can-acupuncture-help-insomnia/