Spring is approaching, and more sensitive people may begin experiencing spring allergy symptoms as early as February this year. For those affected, Allergy Acupuncture might offer some relief.
Why Do Spring Allergies Occur?
Spring brings unique challenges, particularly for those prone to allergies. Understanding why these symptoms arise requires some foundational knowledge of Chinese medicine.
Basic Concepts
- Energy Systems and Organs:
- The Lung energy system includes not only the lungs but also the nose.
- The Liver energy system is closely tied to the eyes.
- The Five Elements:
- In Chinese medicine, the universe is composed of five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.
- These elements correspond to organs and seasons:
- Wood: Liver and Gallbladder (associated with Spring).
- Metal: Lung and Large Intestine.
- Earth: Spleen and Stomach.
- Elemental Relationships:
- Wood and Metal: Wood can attack Metal, meaning an overactive Liver energy (Wood) can weaken Lung energy (Metal).
- Earth and Metal: Earth nourishes Metal, meaning strong Spleen and Stomach energy (Earth) supports Lung energy (Metal).
- Energy Directions:
- Lung energy descends, while Liver energy ascends.
Analyzing Spring Allergies
When a person has weak Earth energy (Spleen and Stomach), their Metal energy (Lung) also becomes weak. This weak Lung energy struggles to control the over-rising Liver energy (Wood), especially during Spring, the season of Wood.
As a result:
- Wood attacks Metal:
- Lung energy fails to descend, leading to nose-related symptoms, coughs, and throat issues.
- Liver energy over-rises:
- This affects the eyes, causing eye-related symptoms.
Preventative Care
Believe it or not, you don’t have to wait for spring to address allergies! By balancing your systems throughout the year, we can help prevent spring allergies from occurring altogether.
Try incorporating more ginger, garlic, and white color foods in your daily routine to support your body. (We will know in a future blog that white colour is associated with Lu energy)