Allergies are hard
Every year or two I have a terrible allergy attack where I can barely get a breath in between sneezes. It usually arrives late May or early June, well after I've spent weeks treating people for their allergies and I can kind of follow along the clues my patients leave me as to when it might hit me. I love to prep and prevent by getting regular acupuncture and taking my herbs. Well...not this year!
Yesterday I got hit and hit HARD. What started out as me moving through a normal day quickly tanked into a perpetual sneeze personified - wandering around my apartment and wearing my clothes. So, I ditched all pre-conceived notions of what my day would be or what tasks I would check off the list and went into rest and recovery mode. When the body asks for a break – take it to the best of your ability. Healing goes a lot better if you dedicate some time to it.
So here's what my day ended up looking like. After step 3 I was feeling somewhat human and after step 5 I felt that I could see patients. Don't get me wrong – I'm still having some allergy symptoms but I'm able to function.
#1
I started my Chinese herbs right away. There are two formulas I rely on and both will be in my office ready for you to purchase next week! The first is an internal formula that helps the body to process the pollen and it's particularly great for the itching and sneezing. The second formula is an herbal nasal spray that helps to keep the nasal passages open and relieves a lot of discomfort. (Sometimes I feel like my nose is constantly runny because it's actually blocked; once I open it up things feel better – though using the spray is...intense for a second!) I know it will take a few “loading doses” to get my herbal level up to speed so in the meantime...
#2
I take an over-the-counter anti-histamine for allergies.
I'm betting some of you are surprised about this one. I've learned that if I'm willing to take the meds for a day or so while my herbs are getting up to speed I'll function better (read: sneeze less!) and it's really only for 24-48 hours that I need it. If you are substance or dose sensitive like I am buy the children's liquid version – this makes it really easy to get a dose that offers effects without too many side effects. I start with the dose for the under-12's and if in an hour I'm not better I take another ½ dose and repeat until I hit the full adult dose. Between the herbs and the acupuncture I rarely get up to the full dose so I still feel like I can function.
#3
Next I give myself an acupuncture treatment. This one is KEY. Acupuncture can clear some of the itching and sneezing and strengthen your system to be able to process all the pollen in the air. Results are pretty quick, though you'll need more than one treatment to get through the season. It also helps me to process the anti-histamine I took so that I don't get as much brain fog. After my treatment I was feeling pretty good though a little tired.
#4
So I took a nap!
Despite feeling pretty good after steps #1-4 I was darn tired so I set my timer for 30 minutes and had a rest. I prescribe naps for my patients often and I feel sad (and honestly a little worried) when people are resistant to them.
Rest is not a failure. It is a victory and something I was lucky enough to be able to afford today. Chinese medicine says you can not be yang (active) all the time; you first have to be yin. And when your yin has grown and matured and it is ready, then it will flourish into yang. If we're lucky we get to do this on a daily cycle – using sleep to nourish our yin so that we can show off our fancy yang-ness all day out in the world.
#5
After #4 I was a little groggy and I needed to head to the office soon so to wake up and further relieve the itching I made myself a tea of local honey and apple cider vinegar (ACV). This is one of my favorite home remedies for acid reflux and allergies. You'll need true organic ACV – the kind with the “mother” (the cloudy stuff sitting at the bottom of the bottle). Add a tablespoon of ACV and some honey to taste (I use about a teaspoon) to a mug, pour about a cup of hot water over it, stir until the honey is dissolved and then sip as a tea. I think this drink is so yummy but it's also one of the only things I add honey to so maybe that's why. Using local honey is really helpful because it contains the pollen you are over-reacting to. I find this tea really calms the itchiness and helps me feel clearer. This one can be started a few weeks before allergy season if you know the time you typically get symptoms. That way you are giving yourself micro-exposures to the pollen before the big blow and hopefully your system will be more comfortable with it when it hits.
That got me through the day and it can get you through allergy season if you're willing to follow along. #2, 4 & 5 you can do all on your own! To be honest though I really don't recommend employing only #2 for the entire allergy season as anti-histamines are so so drying and they really do effect mood and focus for so many. The less you can use them the better and with acupuncture and herbs you don't have to suffer allergy season. I promise.
As for #1 & #3: Book a Session!
While you're at it consider adding a facial gua sha to your acupuncture session – the pressure of the gua sha tool on the sinus passages is really unbeatable! It helps with puffiness too so you'll leave looking and feeling better.
While you're in my office we can discuss which herbs are right for you and get you started right away. I'll give you a plan for what to take and a timeline to try weaning off your anti-histamine. And actually you can accomplish #4 in my office too :)