Seasonal Allergies (And Ways To Resolve Them)

Allergy season is upon us and, if you’re reading this in Austin, Texas, you know that allergy season is pretty much a year-round thing here.  If you’re reading this from any of the top ten cities with the worst allergy rates, you probably feel the same way: allergies are a way of life, and not a good one, at that.¹

What can you do about nasal congestion, sneezing, and/or itching, dry, red eyes?  What about your burning throat, pounding headache, and/or debilitating fatigue?  Not to mention the stress…seasonal allergies have never been trivial but now that COVID has marked us all, the feeling you get when your nose starts running and your sinuses clog is that much more fraught.  What can you do about this misery? 

If you’ve never considered Chinese medicine before now, you might be surprised at the wealth of options available to you. 

Please note: there is a lot more you can do than just snarf down OTC allergy medication that may or may not be effective anyway. If you missed it, take a look at this blog post: “Decongestant Ingredient Phenylephrine Doesn’t Work Says FDA: Key Points to Ponder.” Yes, indeed. A key ingredient in common OCT medications does not work, and what’s more? This has been a known fact for quite some time.

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And if you hadn’t heard… Benadryl and other anticholinergics may increase the odds for developing dementia in older adults.  As with the matter of phenylephrine and the admonishment that this drug ingredient doesn’t work, there have been warnings about brain atrophy in seniors as a result of Benadryl and other anticholinergics for quite a while now. Harvard Health Publishing, for instance, cites a study of older adults, stating that it shows “mounting evidence that anticholinergics aren’t drugs to take long-term if you want to keep a clear head and keep your head clear into old age.”². No matter your age, there is better for you than simply masking symptoms via OTC or Pharma drugs.  You need some strategies and a plan. 

The fact is: seasonal allergies are a common malady and many of the common approaches (OTC or pharma drugs) do not come without a price.  Is it worth it to you, though? 

Now might be a good time to ponder your options. 

You might be wondering what Chinese medicine combined with some moderate lifestyle shifts can do for you.  If so, you’ve come to the right blog post because yes, I do have answers to your questions.

First and foremost, when you decide to work with a practitioner of Chinese medicine to resolve your allergy presentation, you can expect to begin with a plan for symptom relief.  If you are not averse to acupuncture, we do have specific points that we use that can lower histamine responses (or, if we phrase it the way a Chinese medicine physician would, we clear Wind-Heat).  Headaches, stuffy nose, hives, burning eyes?  All of these can be ameliorated with acupuncture.

If you are uncomfortable at the thought of needles, there are other options, from acupressure to gua sha and/or cupping.  (I wrote a blog post about that, “Acupuncture And More (Where to Start With Traditional Chinese Medicine if Needles Make You Nervous,” so do take a look if you’re interested in other options.)

Also: No, acupuncture doesn’t hurt, and yes, the needles are single-use only and properly disposed of after your treatment. Still not convinced? That’s ok…in time, Grasshopper, in time.

Herbal formulas are a great resource.  Anything from classics to unclog your nose to age-old remedies to begin before your allergy season starts that can reduce inflammation and head problems off before they even begin are also available.  We don’t just give you a basic, one-size-fits-all formula that you will need to take for the rest of your life.  Whatever you are prescribed will be an answer to your unique presentation.  And our herbal formulas can be customized if needed. 

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Personal anecdote alert: Allergies are actually one of the reasons I initially sought out Chinese medicine.  Every spring, and I do mean EVERY SPRING, I would get what I called the pizza rash on my cheek.  It looked like a small piece of pepperoni and it appeared, like clockwork, right next to my nose in a spot, I eventually learned, that is a commonly-used acupuncture point for nasal congestion.  My physicians would offer me antihistamines and other drugs to no avail.  My seasonal allergies were as miserable as anyone else’s in terms of the usual symptoms, but the yearly rash on my face made me NUTS.  Nobody at any biomedical doctor’s office I ever went to figured out why I got this, but one round of Chinese herbal medicine fixed it.  After two allergy seasons of taking Chinese herbs, the problem was resolved and has never returned. 

Depending on your practitioner’s interests and practice, they may assess your big picture and support you as you change your daily habits.  This I definitely do with all of my patients. With or without a health coaching approach to lifestyle change, though, it is fairly standard for a practitioner to focus not just on your running nose but also on your local environment and on your gut health.

Reducing inflammation across the board is a project worth undertaking. Consequently, an assessment of your context will also include your big picture, or what’s surrounding you in terms of weather and air quality.  Each individual has their different environmental triggers and consequent health history. And on the subject of environmental triggers? Keep in mind that climate change is becoming a factor in the way people experience seasonal allergies.³

Nutrition and a review of your eating habits is another approach to eradicating seasonal upheaval. Indeed, a key aspect of your allergy woes can often be traced back to your gut health.  If your immune system (or wei qi, in Chinese medicine’s terms) is already cranked up due to chronic inflammation, then whatever trigger is in your environment is probably going to hit you that much harder.  If you resolve the chronic inflammation, it can be entirely possible that the seasonal allergies are banished too.  Achieving this is usually going to be the result of creating a healthier gut microbiome.  This we can do, as I outline in “Gut & Digestive Health: Three Reasons Why It Matters & How Chinese Medicine Can Improve Yours.” 

Gut health is whole-body health and Chinese medicine has known this for centuries. 

If you have a long history of allergies or you live in a region that known for being an allergy hotspot then it will be a bit of a project to resolve things.  But think about it this way: do you want to be tethered to Pharma or OTC drugs that help you to kick the can down the road, that might not work, and/or that may turn your brain to tofu but that don’t address the underlying issues?  There is a financial toll associated with living with seasonal allergies and a quality-of-life cost that, depending on how miserable your allergies make you, can be even higher.⁴

Fact: Seasonal allergies have a cumulative cost that magnifies over time.

You can opt to expend some energy so that you learn what, precisely, can be changed quickly and what, on the other hand, requires strategy and self-knowledge and lifestyle change. This requires some time at your acupuncturist’s office and some consistency and self-care on your own time. But the energy and time you spend at the beginning of your program of change can bear fruit that will bring you peace for the rest of your days. Bottom line: there is better for you than a life of seasonal allergies and OTC drugs.

Are you ready to try something new? 

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Paula Bruno, Ph.D., L.Ac., is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, an AOBTA-CP traditional Chinese bodywork therapist, and a wellness educator and health coach.  She maintains an active and growing practice at her Austin, TX office.  Dr. Bruno is also available for distance appointments for wellness consultation or coaching.

In her first career, she was a Spanish professor.

Dr. Bruno’s specialties as a Chinese medicine practitioner include: • Musculoskeletal health (acute or chronic pain relief; Ehlers Danlos syndrome  & hypermobility support) • Digestive support, gut health, and weight loss • Aesthetic treatment, including scar revision • Men’s health • General preventative care and immune support for all persons.

She is the author of Chinese Medicine and the Management of Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome: A Practitioner’s Guide. Dr. Bruno also maintains a second website, holistichealthandheds.com, with resources and information curated specifically for people with hEDS and HSD.

When you are ready to discover what traditional medicine plus a vibrant and engaged approach to holistic health can do for you, either contact Dr. Bruno or book an appointment online.

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Note: Material on this web site site is not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease, illness, or ailment. A Chinese medicine practitioner in Texas identifies syndrome patterns but does not diagnose illness.  Material on this web site does not purport to identify syndrome patterns.

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1. If you’re not sure where your home stands, take a look at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s report, “Allergy Capitals.” We here in Austin, shockingly, did not make the list, though Dallas did (Boo!!!). ↩︎
2. Refer to The Harvard Health article, “Common anticholinergic drugs like Benadryl linked to increased dementia risk” for discussion of the study. “Common Allergy Drugs May Raise Dementia Risk” was written in 2016 so clearly, this is not new information. ↩︎
3. Take a look at “Report: Climate Change Makes Living with Allergies a Challenge.” It may not be the first thing you consider when you think about seasonal allergies, but yes, the weather patterns around you are probably shifting and, in so doing, they affect your overall levels of health. For some thoughts on how to manage your wellbeing during periods of fluctuating or extreme weather, see “Extreme Weather: Strategies to Stay Healthy and Keep Your Cool When It’s Wild Outside” by yours truly. ↩︎
4. A useful guide to statistics surrounding allergies can be found at “Seasonal Allergies Cost $16,000 Over a Lifetime.” This article is definitely worth reviewing, as it paints a fascinating picture of the ubiquity and cost of allergies. Do look! ↩︎