This is the time of year when many people suffer from hay fever and allergies. An interesting article examines how herbal treatments may be able to help:

"Let’s look at how Chinese medicine approaches the cause and treatment of hay fever as one alternative to antihistamines and steroids. It is said that the Wei Qi or Defensive Energy is weak, not unlike a weakened immune system. According to a Chinese medicine practitioner, Dermot O’Connor, “Many patients with hay fever will have a history of being treated with repeated antibiotics as children as well as eating a diet high in sugars, dairy products, fruit juices and yeasted grain products. It is suggested that the immune response of hay fever sufferers has been hampered in some way as a result of these elements.”

Acupuncture is used to balance, unblock or strengthen the Lung Qi (lung energy), depending on the person’s constitution and symptoms. From the standpoint of Chinese medicine, stagnation in the lungs can lead to sneezing, nasal discharge and congestion. Also Chinese herbs would be given to strengthen the underlying energy of the Wei Qi. In a study in the West, as reported in Allergy magazine, 52 patients between the ages of 20 and 58, all diagnosed with seasonal allergic rhinitis were randomly assigned to a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) group or a control group. In the TCM group each person received a weekly 20-minute acupuncture session, based on his or her personal factors and symptoms. By the end of the study period the severity of hay fever was “significantly less pronounced in the TCM group.”"

See DAAN's Sinustis Pills or Pe Min Kan Wan for relief of hay fever.