Whole Living
Blowing Those Seasonal Allergies Away
by Dylana Accolla, Lac

Illustration by Zak Pullen

Been honking and sneezing every spring or fall since you moved to the Hudson Valley? Join the club. Doctors' offices begin filling up in early spring with hay fever sufferers trying to ward off the severity of symptoms, ranging from nasal congestion and watery eyes to full on ER-style asthma attacks. As innocuous as they sound, hay fever and seasonal allergies can be stubbornly resistant to treatment. The sufferer's frustration mounts with every anti-histamine or corticoid steroid inhaled, popped, or rubbed on. So if you have been thinking of a natural way to treat your seasonal allergies, read on.

RHINITIS DOES NOT EQUAL RHINESTONE INFECTION
First of all, what is being treated here? Seasonal allergic symptoms can be grouped into an array of symptoms collectively termed allergic rhinitis. In Western medicine, this is said to be due to an antigen-antibody reaction in the nasal mucosa. When the allergens are pollen particles, this is called seasonal allergic rhinitis. When the antigens are dust, fungal spores, animal dander, and house dust mites' fecal matter, it is termed perennial allergic rhinitis. In perennial rhinitis, the nose becomes more reactive to non-specific stimuli such as cigarette smoke, gas fumes, perfumes, and other odors.

Allergic rhinitis develops as a result of the interaction between inhaled allergen and the adjacent molecules of IgE antibodies. These stick to the surface of the mast cells that line the nasal epithelium with the first exposure to the offending allergen. After the first exposure, the mast cells are "primed", which is to say that high levels of IgE antibodies stick to their surface. With subsequent exposure to allergens, the IgE antibodies provoke an "explosion" in the mast cells with a massive release of histamine. Histamine itself causes increased permeability of the nasal epithelium, allowing even more pollen to reach the IgE-primed mast cells. Sneezing is the result of overstimulation of the afferent nerve endings in the nose and begins within minutes of the antigen's entry. This is followed by greatly increased nasal secretion and eventually nasal blockage 10-15 minutes after contact with the allergen.

Anti-histamines work by preventing histamine from reaching histamine receptors in the mast cells. Their side effects include sedation, nervousness, fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, and gastro-intestinal disturbance. Steroid inhalers are also used for allergic rhinitis, and these do not seem to have the same general, systemic effects of oral steroids.

PULLING THE PLUG ON 'NOSE POOL'
There is no "allergic rhinitis" diagnosis in Chinese medicine. We call it "nose-pool" (Bi Yuan) and understand it as a weakness of the Lung* (the nose is the manifestation of the Lung) and the Kidney's defensive qi (qi is roughly understood to mean "energy") systems. Interestingly, in Chinese medicine, the Kidney, located deep in the lower portion of the abdomen, is said to "grasp the Lung qi" during inhalation. Breathing difficulties arise when there is a problem in that mechanism. In addition, the Lung and the Kidneys produce and maintain the immune system's ability to keep pathogens out of the body. This protective system is called defensive qi in Chinese medicine and is said to be located between the skin and the muscles, in the "interstices". When you lack defensive qi, pathogens can enter the body, causing you to get sick.

"Wind" is considered a pathogen in Chinese medicine. When wind enters the exterior level of the body you catch a cold. Wind combines easily with cold and heat, providing the character of the cold. In the case of allergies, they determine whether the mucous in the nose is white and watery (cold) or yellowish (heat). Itchiness is a combination wind and heat symptom, as are red eyes, itchy throat, or slight thirst.

There are many Chinese herbs to systematically treat allergic rhinitis, but these are best prescribed by a Chinese medicine practitioner. Ma Huang, or ephedra, which can exacerbate heart problems, is present in some of these formulas, so if you have a heart condition, please warn your practitioner. Magnolia flower, angelica root, and Xanthium fruit are among the most powerful nasal congestion busters.

Chinese medicine divides an imbalance into its causes and manifestations; we refer to this as the "root" and "branch" of an illness. In this case, the nasal congestion, sneezing, and watery eyes are called the "branch," and they are treated with herbs and acupuncture. The cause, or the root, however, must also be treated, but this should be done at a time outside the pollen season; late summer and early fall are good times to begin root treatment (May is not).

Root treatment involves strengthening the Kidneys, or what I like to call the body's "battery pack." We also treat constitutional imbalances in each individual. These are different for everyone, but an example of a common constitutional imbalance would be a person who tends to produce large quantities of mucous. This person often shows signs of Spleen qi deficiency, or poor fluid metabolism by the digestive organs. When fluids are not properly digested, they tend to accumulate in the Spleen/Stomach and create "dampness". Dampness symptoms include lots of mucous, a feeling of heaviness in the head or body, a feeling of stuffiness in the head or belly, nausea, poor appetite, no thirst, and thin, loose stools.

When treating perennial allergies we treat both the root and the branch simultaneously because the symptoms are present all year round. A really good root treatment formula for perennial allergy sufferers is called the Jade Windscreen formula. A very effective and simple formula to strengthen the Lung qi and consolidate the exterior defensive system, it includes only three herbs: astragalus root, atractylodis rhizome, and ledebouriella root. This formula is commonly taken to prevent colds, particularly in people who suffer from frequent colds. It can also be taken year-round, or beginning at least five months before allergy season to tonify and prevent seasonal allergy symptoms. E-mail me or ask your Chinese Medicine practitioner about it.

REMEDIES FOR RESISTANCES: HOMEOPATHY
Humans are not the only ones to get allergies, says homeopathic practitioner Katy Bray. Plants, animals, and even minerals can develop "sensitivities", as an allergy is called in homeopathic medicine. "All beings and substances have the potential to develop resistance or intolerance to something in their environment. Plants can easily develop allergies," Bray said. "Their tolerance for extremes is much lower than, say, rocks. While plants have very specific soil, air, and water needs, rocks won't be crushed if the environment suddenly changes."

What bearing does this have on allergic rhinitis? A lot. In the homeopathic materia medica, there are more than 2000 remedies, and each person corresponds constitutionally to a specific remedy. "Plant remedy people are much more likely to develop allergies than mineral remedy types," said Bray. In addition, many allergy remedies are made from plants. This is not a rule, Bray cautions, as there are minerals found in plants, and it gets complicated from there. But this is a useful generality that points to the proper method of using homeopathic remedies to treat allergy symptoms.

Following a detailed (1-2+ hours) intake, Bray searches for a substance in nature that has similar qualities to the state of her patient as a whole. She may prescribe an acute remedy to take the edge off the symptoms, she says, but eventually the patient goes back to the constitutional remedy, which addresses the deeper levels of the problem.
"Allergies are a kind of disharmony," said Bray. This disharmony can occur on many levels-physical, emotional, and spiritual. They are sensitivities, she said, but they are also considered to be resistances to certain elements in the environment. This can be something physical, an emotional experience, one's mate, trauma, physical abuse-the possibilities are endless, she says.

Curious about acute remedies, I asked Bray if one could just go to the health food store and pick up a remedy for hay fever. Bray shuddered at the potential for mistakes. "You could get the symptoms that remedy causes if it is not your remedy," she said. Most of the remedies won't actually harm you, she added, but some could drive the problem in deeper. Bray said she does not want to criticize the availability of homeopathic remedies on the market, but she said she thinks the palliative use of remedies is, to her, ignoring what is calling out to be addressed.

What homeopathic remedies are used to treat allergic rhinitis symptoms? I persisted. Acute symptoms are treated with remedies that actually produce the symptoms they are being used to treat, said Bray. Onions, for example, cause the eyes and nose to run like a dripping faucet when you cut them. The homeopathic remedy Allium cepa, which is derived from onion, treats tearing eyes and runny nose. Eyebright is a plant that, if you brush your skin up against it, causes severe itching, burning eyes, and profuse nasal discharge. The remedy Euphrasia (the Latin name for eyebright) treats exactly that. Ingesting Sabadilla in plant form causes incredible repeating sneeze attacks. As an acute remedy, however, it alleviates sneezing.

Substances undergo experiments called "provings" in homeopathic medicine, explained Bray. "Healthy people take the remedy and record the symptoms they get. According to homeopathic medicine, if the symptoms can be produced in people, then they can cure people," she said. "When this kind of remedy is combined with a constitutional remedy, as the seasons and years go by, the symptoms become lighter and lighter until they disappear. When someone is totally tuned up in terms of their physical, emotional, and spiritual selves, the symptoms aren't necessary."

NAET - NAMBUDRIPAD'S ALLERGY ELIMINATION TECHNIQUES
Carol Kessler is a bit of a Renaissance woman in terms of complementary therapies. A licensed acupuncturist with a PhD in Oriental medicine, Kessler began as a massage therapist and now serves as a board member of the New York State Society of Medical Massage Therapists. For five years Carol has been practicing NAET, an allergy elimination technique devised by California-based acupuncturist, chiropractor, and kinesiologist Devi Nambudripad. Nambudripad discovered these techniques around 1984 while attempting to alleviate her own severe congenital allergies.

While working on her PhD at Samra University of Oriental Medicine in Los Angeles, Nambudripad observed that people with allergy symptoms often responded well to acupuncture and acupressure treatment. After recognizing "the systemic relationship between contact with allergens and the resulting neuro-physiological effects produced in the body," Nambudripad began to discover how the brain could be reprogrammed in its response to what mistakenly looks harmful or toxic.

Nambudripad's system is made up of allergy testing and allergy treatment. The basic level testing is done using vials of allergen and kinesiology. Kinesiology-the study of muscles-is used in NAET to compare the strength and weakness of a muscle in the presence of any substance. Nambudripad believes that a measured weakness in the muscle in the presence of the allergen is due to the effect of an allergy to that substance.

Carol Kessler explained that Nambudripad's basic allergen set is made up of 12 substances "needed to sustain life." These substances are packaged in specially prepared vials, labeled Egg mix, Calcium, Vitamin C, B Complex, Sugar, Iron, Vitamin A, Minerals, Salt, Chlorides, Corn, Grains. There are hundreds of other vials of allergens to go through if the symptoms remain after the basic twelve are treated. Kessler can also do in-depth allergy testing using a special computer program. It tests for literally thousands of allergens, taking much of the difficulty and guesswork out of the allergy testing.

When Kessler performs the kinesiology muscle test, she first asks the patient to stand with his right arm out and applies pressure to the muscle to determine its baseline strength. She then tests the same muscle while the left hand holds a vial of allergen. I told Carol I had a hard time believing the kinesiology tests, so she tried it on me. A positive test result using kinesiology seemed quite clear once she demonstrated how the baseline muscle strength was firmly established.

After a positive allergy is identified, Kessler then determines which Chinese meridians and organ systems are most affected by the allergy. She does this by lightly touching the points for each organ on the front of the body. Muscle weakness at a specific point indicates the organ most out of balance.

The third part of the test determines the level of the body the allergy exists on-structural, chemical, or emotional. The structural level refers to the physical aspect of the body, the muscles and the bones. The chemical aspect is nutritional, Kessler said, a combination of things you eat and problems in the gastro-intestinal tract. The emotional level is anything relating to a problem in the emotional body.

While testing me, Kessler found that I was allergic to eggs, affecting my kidney channel on the emotional level. She then used a counting system and discovered that this emotional energy blockage occurred while I was 13 years old. "What happened to you when you were 13?" she asked. That was the year my father became severely ill, I replied. Of course I was feeling a lot of fear about that, and fear is the emotion associated with the kidney in Chinese medicine. Funny thing about eggs, I told her. I can't eat them during the day or I feel heavy and bloated. I can only eat them at night.

The treatment consists of a quick back treatment using finger pressure to activate points on the back related to the source of the imbalance. Then the patient is given acupuncture at points on the extremities, which goes deeply into the system and gives more lasting effects, Kessler feels.

Once the treatment is complete, the patient is instructed to stay away from any and all forms of the offending allergen for 25 hours. After that, a person is considered "cleared" of the allergy. There are no known adverse reactions with NAET, by the way.

How many treatments does a person require to alleviate allergies? That really depends on the individual's condition and how severe the symptoms are, Kessler said. People are rarely cured in a single session because they tend to have multiple allergies, she said. Only one allergy is cleared per session.

Expect it to take 10 to 40 sessions, but it could take longer. Take the case of the woman who would lose consciousness whenever she encountered environmental smells-cigarette smoke, perfume, hairspray, etc. After two years of treatment she can go to the mall and not pass out. Or the young boy who couldn't go near a chlorinated pool. After a single treatment he now takes swimming classes at school. Or the nine-year-old asthmatic on the stringent diet who, after six months of treatment, no longer wheezes and can eat whatever his friends eat.
There are many other success stories, like the nurse who used to get asthma every Christmas when patients' families brought poinsettias to the hospital. She can now go to the florist shop in December. Or the man who suddenly got the flu for three weeks after a tetanus shot. His doctor said it couldn't be from the vaccine and told him to wait it out. Kessler treated him for tetanus vaccine allergy and within two visits he was fine. Another woman had never eaten an egg due to severe allergies. Just going near an egg would cause her to swell up. In two treatments she was able to have French toast for the first time in her life. She now cooks with eggs and her family is amazed-no more reactions.

"I get my best results with people who really want to beat their allergies, who make a commitment to the program and really stick with it. It is a time and financial commitment," she acknowledged, "but it will change your life." n

PS: Sorry. At press time I still haven't tried eggs for breakfast.