Our secrets for treating allergies 🤧

This month we are diving into allergies.

Oh, allergies, we love the flowers and the season change, but some of us pay a horrible price. Join us below as we each dive into how to navigate allergy season.

Sara Ward

Since we practice a form of acupuncture called the Balance Method, we are uniquely positioned to encourage the body’s healing mechanisms long before an allergen shows up. 

This requires us practitioners to really brush up on our Five Element and the Bagua theory to get these treatments right. While this may look complex (and it is), it’s basically about finding balance through the opposites and accepting change.

                                                             Five Elements  and  the Bagua

What we need YOU to confirm is that you’ve had your seasonal allergy for two or more seasons, recurring at the same time each year. So, if allergies are new to you, and you’re not sure you’ve really got allergies, or if it’s just sensitivities or a cold, we have to wait more than a year to know for sure. 

Once you know you’ve got recurring seasonal allergies, we start treatment in the opposite season. For example, if you suffer prominently in the spring (wood season), we start treatment in the fall (metal season). We choose powerful commanding points on your body based on the season, the Bagua and your specific complaints. 

Sure, we can still treat allergy upheaval when it’s in full blow, but it’s more like damage control than healing. Still, it’s some pretty potent damage control. I’ve had multiple patients show up with itchy red eyes, swollen sinuses, runny noses, and headaches that wouldn’t yield to any medication. That’s when I love to use those super special points at the bridge of your nose, between your eyebrows, and a few other spots on your face. They report waking up with less congestion, getting fewer headaches, and not having to rely so heavily on OTC medication to get through their days.

For all you seasonal allergy sufferers, we’ve got you covered all year long. Now that you know our little secret of treating allergies in the off season, we strongly suggest you continue to keep this a big secret! Imagine if word got out and you couldn’t get in to see us.

Fear not, friend, you are a VIP. All it takes is a quick email to us and you’re in!

Lisa Matsuzaki

That time of year again! Just as the weather gets better and the cherry blossoms start to bloom, allergies can also creep back in. Ugh. Seasonal allergies are a pain in the nose / eyes / throat / ears / whole head.

Allergies occur when your body makes too much histamine in reaction to an allergen. Acupuncture can help! Acupuncture works best if we start treating your body preventatively, treating the immune system to moderate its overreaction before allergy season starts. But if we miss the pre-allergen window we can also treat acute symptoms to open the sinuses, mitigate itchiness of eyes, ears, throat and general fogginess. 

Other things that might help:

An air purifier in your bedroom. A lot of folks are allergic to dust mites, so rather than a fan for white noise, which can stir up more dust and dust mites, an air purifier might be beneficial.

No magnesium rec this month! Instead, it’s a reminder about nasal rinsing! Nasal rinsing (neti pot or bottle) can remove allergens and excess mucus from your sinuses. Please remember to use distilled or boiled and cooled water in your saline solution.

Hopefully, taking these steps will help you allergy sufferers out there enjoy the spring flowers more.

Sharyn Turner

In Australia we call it hayfever — and it never used to bother me until I moved to Vancouver! For whatever reason, the pollen over here gets to me. My eyes itch, my nose gets stuffy. Sometimes, even the inside of my mouth feels itchy!

Acupuncture (and neti pot) to the rescue! Acupuncture can be super effective in preventing and managing the severity of allergy-season symptoms. For best results, come on in throughout the winter to prepare and prevent the onslaught of itchy, irritating sneezing fits. But don’t worry, it’s not too late to come and manage symptoms now either. We can help you unstuff sinuses and reduce the itchies and scratchies.

Besides staying indoors with doors and windows closed when possible, I highly recommend investing in an air purifier and regularly using an aforementioned neti pot/saline rinse to keep nasal passages clear and flowing. And … I know we’re all sick of masks, but they can help provide an extra layer of filtration when you’re out and about. Finally, if it’s really windy outside, make sure to remove your outerwear/get changed as soon as you return home, and even consider taking a quick shower.