Allergy Relief Through Your Diet
Allergy season is among us, and many of us are struggling to find relief. If you’ve got congested sinuses, headaches, red itchy eyes, you’re not alone.
In Chinese medicine, allergies are seen as an imbalance or a weakness in your body. Typically these symptoms are seen as a deficiency in your lung’s wei qi (defensive qi or immune system).
The health and harmony of the lungs determines if your wei qi ( immune system) is strong enough to protect your body from pathogens. The lung system’s function is to circulate your defensive qi throughout your body to strengthen your immune system and regulate the body’s temperature. If your lung’s qi is deficient, you are more prone to symptoms of allergies, catching colds and flus.
Along with regular acupuncture treatments, there are some other things you can do yourself to improve your lung system and alleviate your symptoms, starting with your diet.
Foods to add:
- Chrysanthemum tea
- Button mushrooms
- Garlic
- White turnip
- Bean sprouts
- Pears
- Apples
- Lemon
- Cauliflower
- Leafy greens (spinach, kale, lettuce, dandelion greens)
Adding in these foods help to clear the body of dampness and mucous and strengthen the lungs.
Foods to avoid:
- Dairy
- Processed foods
- Sugars
- Wheat
These foods are mucous and dampness producing , increasing sinus congestion and phlegm. Reducing or eliminating these foods is recommended.
Through changing your diet, acupuncture treatments and herbal formulas, many people find relief from their annoying allergy symptoms.
To learn more about what you can do to improve your allergies (acupressure points, herbal formulas and more), check out our video on the topic here.