Plan Ahead for Allergy Relief
Now is the time to strengthen your immune system to reduce Spring allergy problems
If
you suffer from allergic reactions to pollens, the months of February
and March are a good time to introduce herbs and lifestyle changes to
strengthen your immune system to give these approaches time to work.
Each doshic type will experience different symptoms and patterns, and
should take the approach most suited to their physical constitution.
To work with any type of allergy, I combine concepts from Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
I
personally find it helpful to visualize the immune system as a
protective energy shield around the body, generated by the
Kidney/Adrenal complex. (If it helps, you can bring to mind the
defensive energy shields put around the ships in Star Trek®.) In TCM,
the Kidney meridian system is said to function as the pilot light for
the body, providing the "heat" needed for the digestive process,
energy to run the various organ system functions (including the immune
system), by drawing on three main sources of fuel: nutrients from the
food we eat, oxygen from the air we breath, and what's called Pre-Natal
Chi or "jing" in TCM, and "ojas" (Ayurvedic word for the same thing)
which supports life at a fundamental level.
According to TCM,
we first come into this world with a finite supply of this "jing" or
essence, and draw upon it as necessary, hopefully have some left to
live on when in old age. TCM and Ayurveda maintains that when the
supply of vital essence is gone, life is no longer possible and the
body dies.
Food and the air we breath continues to supplement
the prenatal essence on a daily basis, and, like money, if we go into
energy debt (due to severe injury, illness or overwork), we start
drawing on this essential energy. It's like dipping into your IRA
funds to pay your current everyday bills, or even worse, accumulating
massive debt. (An interesting side note: caffeine is said to draw
directly from this source, which is why people feel so good on it. To
see if you've created a caffeinated energy debt, try an experiment -
gradually wean yourself off of coffee/caffeine ½ cup less each week,
and monitor your energy levels. If you're noticeably tired, that may
indicate that the caffeine is giving you a false sense of vitality -
it's coming at a cost that you might be "billed" for later.)
In
short, the goal is to end each day with at least as much energy as you
began it. If you are chronically tired, this is a sign of energy debt,
and this will affect your immune system's ability to protect you
against illness. A weakened immune system may become "confused" or
what I call "hysterical" and overreact to things unnecessarily,
creating the downward spiral/vicious cycle of an exhausted, overworking
immune system which just gets worse over time. Hence, allergies.
According
to many holistic approaches, the high degree of allergies now found in
the general population indicates a significant problem with lifestyle
and environment. Allergic response is beneficial if it keeps us away
from harmful substances. In times long, long ago, sneezing fits and
congestion around moldy areas (for example) may have discouraged our
ancestors from hanging around there because it made them feel really
bad really quickly. It doesn't make sense to be allergic to foods and
pollens in our natural enirvonment I believe something has gone
seriously wrong for this to be so common.
An in-depth
discussion of allergies is too much to cover in this newsletter, but I
can give you some idea of what herbs might be helpful.
I can
also recommend trying TCM patent formulas, in particular Dr. Shen's
product line. These products are available in many health food stores,
are made in the U.S. and contain quality ingredients. Most
importantly, ingredients on the label are what's in the product. I
recommend the Allergy formula as a way to handle the "branch" -- which
means the formula doesn't address the root cause of allergies, so it's
not preventative, but it helps clear up itchy eyes, sneezing,
congestion, etc. should allergic response occur. This formula seems to
be a good general formula for anyone, regardless of type.
To
balance Vata, Pitta and Kapha-type allergy patterns, a general approach
to the problem would be to take herbs and have a lifestyle which pacify
your dominant dosha, and then add a few herbs to handle immediate
symptoms.
For example,
If you are primarily Vata, an
allergic reaction might manifest as dry, itchy eyes, throat, and dry
skin, possibly with "dry" sinus headache, and violent sneezing with or
without congestion.
As a preventative measure, consider teas (or nonalcoholic tinctures) that use the following herbs:
Ginger (to warm up the formula for Vata, pacify Vata)
Nettles (to fortify the nervous system)
Oatstraw (if you aren't allergic to grasses, to calm Vata nerves) and
Marshmallow root (to sooth and moisturize mucus membranes) and
herbs such as cinnamon, cardamon and cloves to generally warm Vata.
In Vata, warming herbs and foods could be said to increase/bolster your immune system's "shield density" and vitality.
If you're experiencing a more accute condition with congestion, you might consider adding Oregon Grape Root or Goldenseal (to decrease swollen sinus membranes).
A
Vata person should always take either of these with warming and
moisturizing herbs to mitigate it's strong astringent/drying
properties. Do not take it by itself. (Kapha could, but it would be
too drying for Vata taken as a single herb).
A primarily Pitta
individual might feel more sensations of heat, maybe be prone to
chronic sinus or bronchial inflammations and infections, and perhaps
experience rashes. Pitta's meals should be cooling or neutral in
nature, with emphasis on sweet taste (neutral flavors, not sugar) with
small amounts of bitter and astringent tastes. This time of year, very
mildly spiced foods would be appropriate.
To pacify Pitta, consider these herbs:
Nettles (cooling, fortifies nervous system)
Oatstraw (if you're not allergic to grasses, to reduce Pitta and fortify/calm the nerves)
aloe vera (to build strength, soothe heat in digestive tract)
milk thistle (In TCM, spring is Liver time and in Ayurveda, Liver has a strong Pitta component - milke thistle supports liver health)
shatavari - an Ayurvedic herb which builds strength in a Pitta person.
(You
can obtain Shatavari directly from Banyan Botanicals, or if you like, I
can special-order it for you at a 10% discount below retail cost.
Please contact me by email if you'd like me to do this for you.)
Kapha
is synonymous with dampness; of all three doshas, they are the most
likely to have excess phlegm, mucus and congestion. This time of year
especially, Kapha's foods should be dry, light and warm, emphasizing
pungent/spicy, bitter and astringent tastes.
Consider these herbs for Kapha:
Ginger (for warming)
Siberian Ginseng (for building strength, energy)
Fennel (warming, digestive aid)
Garlic (pungent immune system support)
Marshmallow root (small amount to liquify mucus) (Licorice root can be used this way also)
thyme and horehound to reduce mucus.
Returning
once more to the Star Trek shield metaphor: poor eating habits and
lack of exercise are the equivalent of phaser hits to your shield,
weakening it and making you more vulnerable to illness and allergic
responses. (Imagine eating a piece of cake and hearing Mr. Scot say,
"Captain, the shields are down to 50%!!)
Keep your energy
shield up to 100%, healthy and strong, by eating foods that support
your physical constitution. Get exercise (yes, I know -- you read this
all the time, but it's good advice) to enhance circulation and
especially to move the lymph system, because it doesn't have it's own
pumping mechanism like the circulatory system does. Movement and
physical exercise is what keeps waste and toxins moving through the
lymph system and out of your body.
And lastly, and a biggie --
do everything you can to reduce your stress level. This is the major
thing that will impact your immune system's ability to cope and make
reasonable choices about defense.
There are basically several things you can do:
1. Get enough rest. Probably 7.5 - 8 hours a night for most people.
2.
Eat foods that support your doshic type, and avoid white sugar. Let me
say this again, because it's so vital -- AVOID WHITE SUGAR. Limited
use of natural sweeteners is fine (fruit, honey, etc.) but in my
opinion, white sugar blasts larger holes more quickly in your energy
shield than any other single thing in our Western diet. (Did you know
that your body uses vitamin C to process white sugar? )
3.
Speaking of Vitamin C, it's a good idea to boost your intake now
through spring to give your body nutrients to help the immune system.
(For my recommendations regarding nutritional supplements and vitamins,
click here.)
4. Change your response to stressful situations,
and by this I mean take a proactive approach to how you respond to
emotional triggers. Exercise (there it is again!) to burn off
biochemicals generated by stress at work; do your best to not take
things personally. For some great common sense advice, I recommend
reading "The Four Agreements" by Toltec Shaman don Miguel Ruiz. The
four "agreements" he talks about, if taken to heart and practiced, will
resolve probably 80% of the stress we generate on our own. (To read
more about this book, click here.)
5. Find ways to relax that
aren't hyperstimulating the mind. We are a society deeply attached to
the Mind aspect of being. Much of our work, computers, entertainment,
etc. are highly mentally stimulating, which can lead to mental burnout,
fuzzy thinking, and imbalance due to neglect of our other aspects -
emotionals, our body and our spirit. So, consider reducing or
eliminate tv time, do less reading, and do things that help you get in
touch with your own source of creativity. Have fun, re-create! Do
things that will help you more fully inhabit your body instead of being
trapped up above your neck in the mental aspect.
Spring is coming soon, and with it warmer, longer, brighter days. Take good care of yourself, and enjoy!
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