Seasonal Allergies: Why we feel the way we do

If you're like me (Caroline) this is the time of year when your nose starts running and itching. Why is this so? There are several players in the drama. Let me introduce them to you:

The Spleen For Chinese medicine, the Spleen is the main organ of digestion in the body. It takes the food that you eat and makes it into Qi or vital energy for your body needs to run away from a tiger, solve an engineering problem, or heal an injury. If your Spleen is underperforming, you may feel tired after eating, have gas and bloating, little appetite, and loose stools. When the Spleen is underperforming it creates what we call “Dampness”. In the case of allergies this dampness manifests as constant post-nasal drip, congested sinuses, and a feeling of “stuckness” in the throat. 

The Lung is responsible for taking the air that you breathe and making it into clear Qi to be used by the body. Before Qi is ready to be used in the body, the Qi processed by the Lungs and the Qi made by the Spleen must come together. The Spleen sends it’s Qi up to the Lungs where they combine and are distributed throughout the body. The Spleen sends up whatever it has, including dampness and phlegm. There’s an old saying in Chinese Medicine: “The Spleen makes phlegm and the Lung stores it”. This is where all the congestion in the sinuses and bronchi come from whether it be a cold, allergies or asthma. 

Wind According to Western Medicine, the culprit for seasonal allergies is pollen. According to Chinese Medicine, the culprit for allergies is Wind. This medicine was created thousands of years ago and as such, the ancient Chinese looked to their natural environment for clues how the outer order of things could reflect the inner order of the human body. Using this paradigm, Wind in the body is anything that mimics wind in the outside world, moving erratically or suddenly. When you think about it, Wind does stir up the pollen quite a bit. When the Lung Qi is weak, the Wind enters and you get the sniffles and sneezes.

The Liver Speaking of sneezing and itching, this brings up the next player in our Perfect Storm: the Liver. Spring is the “season” for the Liver. Positive Liver energy moves our Qi around smoothly, provides creativity and productivity. When the Liver Qi is stagnated it can no longer move smoothly. When the Liver Qi moves erratically, we get symptoms of itching and sneezing. 

So to wrap up, poor quality foods (especially raw food, sugar, wheat and dairy) and Spleen hypofunction lead to poor quality Qi and dampness. The Spleen sends Qi and dampness upward to the Lung to distribute throughout the body (snot). Poor quality Lung Qi, open pores, and Lung hypofunction lead to EPIs and wind invading. The erratic movement of Liver Qi causes itching, sneezing and watery eyes. 

How to stay healthy during Allergy Season:

1. Get regular acupuncture! Especially before allergy season begins. Acupuncture helps to balance the body’s systems functioning at top capacity. Acupuncture helps to reduce stress, improve digestion, aid sleep and boost the Lung Qi. By staying in balance, you are less likely to get out of balance and suffer from allergies. 
2. Start a constitutional Chinese herbal formula. If you’re prone to seasonal allergies, you should probably be on a constitutional formula of Chinese herbs that fits your individual pattern. 
3. Avoid the Wind Stay out of the wind if you can. If you can’t stay out of the wind wear a hat or scarf to avoid having Wind enter. 
4. Adopt a positive mental attitude. I believe you create your own reality to some extent. If you believe that every time May comes around, you will be miserable, you most likely will. If you believe you’re going to stay healthy, you stand a better chance of doing so. 
5. Limit Stress. Stress and negative emotions have a stagnating effect on the flow of Qi in the body. Anger causes the Qi to move erratically. A great way to both reduce stress, calm anger and move Qi is to engage in regular exercise! ______________________________________________________________

Left Hand Community Acupuncture is located in the heart of Old Town Lafayette 
at the corner of Simpson St. and Michigan Ave. LHCA offers an affordable sliding 
scale of $25-$55. We do not ask for proof of income. You decide what you feel is 
fair to you and fair to us. We treat patients in a relaxed, group setting that promotes 
an atmosphere of healing. Caroline Adams is a Licensed 
Acupuncturist and nationally board certified. Acupuncture can help with a wide range of 
health issues including pain, stress, insomnia, arthritis, allergies, depression, headaches, 
fatigue, cold and flu, digestive issues, PMS, pain, and many other health concerns.

http://lefthandacu.com 

720-248-8626

Eating Healthy the "Chinese" Way

by Dennis Weigel, L. Ac.

The beginning of the new year is often a time to change old habits, and re-set the body and mind for the year to come.   For many people this involves new, healthier food choices and getting more exercise.  There are many different perspectives on how to eat healthy and can sometimes be confusing as to which foods are healthy and which ones should be avoided.   Chinese medicine offers a perspective which is less known and can be very effective at improving health, digestive strength and metabolism.   Before we list different foods that are considered healthy, let’s first look at the main organs involved in digestion, the spleen and stomach, and how they work in the body.

The Spleen and Stomach are considered the origin of “post heaven qi” or the main source of life force after birth.  This is because they work together to extract energy from food and drink, refine it, and distribute it to all organs of the body.  If the digestive system is not functioning properly, the rest of the body will suffer from lack of proper nourishment.   Some schools of thought in Chinese medicine consider this the primary area of treatment for all diseases.  “If the spleen and stomach are healthy there is health, if the spleen and stomach are unhealthy there is disease.”  The stomach’s role is to store the food after it is chewed and swallowed, and to break it down into a more digestible form.  The spleen’s role is to extract the “essence” or life force and nutrients from the food and to distribute it throughout the body to provide energy to all the organs and limbs.  If the spleen and stomach are healthy, the appetite will be good and the food will be broken down and transported efficiently.  If they are unhealthy, one may experience nausea, belching, or vomiting, or loose stools, and fatigue.  So what can we do to optimize the health of the spleen and stomach?  Let’s first take a look at what each organ “likes” and “dislikes” then we will be able to choose the foods that nourish each organ. 

The stomach is considered a yang organ because it is hollow and serves mainly as a reservoir, whereas the spleen is a yin organ because it is dense and provides the energy for digestion to occur.   Stomach qi descends, and spleen qi ascends, and the stomach likes wetness and dislikes dryness, while the spleen likes dryness and dislikes wetness.  If the stomach is too dry, stomach qi cannot descend and food cannot be moved down to the small intestine and if the spleen is too damp, spleen qi cannot ascend and fluids and food cannot be transformed, leading to an accumulation of dampness or phlegm.  The stomach likes cold, while the spleen likes warmth.  The stomach is damaged by excess and the spleen is damaged by deficiency.

The key to maintaining good digestive health is to eat foods with properties that are compatible with the spleen and stomach.  For example, eating too many foods that are drying such as chips, crackers, pretzels, etc. could damage the stomach, and an excess of foods that are moistening such as dairy, fats or oils, wheat, and sugar, can damage the spleen.  This is not to say that these foods should be avoided all together, but to be mindful about what your body can handle and what feels excessive.  If someone has nausea, or GERD, they might benefit from avoiding foods that are too dry and if someone has an accumulation of phlegm or dampness they would likely benefit from avoiding the foods that tax the spleen which are mentioned above.  An accumulation of fluids can lead to weight gain and is treatable by choosing foods that strengthen the spleen, and its ability to transform fluids.  Potatoes, yams, chicken, nuts, ginger, warm tea, steamed vegetables are some examples.  Also, the spleen likes warmth and the stomach prefers cold.  Extremes of temperatures of food or food properties can therefore damage each organ.   For example, hot, spicy foods in excess can damage the stomach, and too many cold foods such as frozen smoothies, ice water with meals, and even raw vegetables can weaken the spleen.  Mild use of spices, room temperature water, and lightly steamed vegetables would benefit the digestive system and harmonize the spleen and stomach.

Whether you are trying to lose weight or control nausea, bloating or any other digestive ailments, these tips can greatly improve your success over time.  Regular acupuncture treatments can jumpstart or re-enforce your efforts by balancing the body’s energy pathways assuring a smooth flow of nutrients to all areas and strengthening the spleen and stomach.  Again it is important to remember that these are guidelines and not absolutes, just suggestions on how to re-balance your system if it is out of balance, moderation is the key.  Happy New Year!

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Get your 'Qi' on at Left Hand Community Acupuncture
424 E. Simpson St. Lafayette, CO 
 www.lefthandacu.com
720-248-8626
 
Book your appointment today at:  
http://left-hand-community.genbook.com

What's this 'Spleen' you keep talking about?

By Caroline Adams, L. Ac. 

Many of you have heard me talk a lot about your Spleen. When your MD starts talking about your Liver or Spleen, it’s usually a fairly serious conversation about a disease like hepatitis or Epstein-Barr. Acupuncturists, on the other hand talk about the functions of these organs regularly! There’s no reason to be alarmed, it’s all normal and good. Chinese medicine doesn’t look at these organs in the same way as Western medicine.

From the Western medical perspective, the Spleen filters and stores the blood. It contributes to the production of red and white blood cells and helps the body fight infection. In Chinese medicine, the organs of the body fulfill energetic roles. Each organ is assigned a number of interrelated processes. The Spleen is not just a fist-sized organ  tucked under the left side of your ribcage, it’s a conglomeration of specific activities needed to keep the body healthy and functional. 

The Spleen’s main job is taking the food that you eat and making it into Qi or vital energy for your body needs to run away from a tiger, solve an engineering problem or heal an injury. For Chinese medicine, the Spleen is the main organ of digestion in the body. This is usually where I explain that what your acupuncturist calls your Spleen really has very little to do with the physical organ “the spleen”. We’re not sure why the ancient Chinese understood it this way. One theory is that they understood the Spleen and Pancreas to be one organ. People sometimes have their Spleens removed and want to know if something horrible is going to happen from a Chinese medical perspective. I tell them the energy and processes of the Spleen are still there and functional even though the physical organ is missing. It may be weaker, but the “Qi” of the Spleen remains intact.  

When the Spleen is doing a good job you feel energized after you eat, you have no stomach or GI upset, and stools are formed. If you’re Spleen is underperforming, you may feel tired after eating, have gas and bloating, little appetite, and loose stools. Here’s an example: after I eat Thanksgiving dinner, I usually feel like curling up on the couch and taking a nap. My kids on the other hand, although grumpy and tired before a meal, become super-charged after eating! They are still young and their Spleens are in good shape; mine, not so much.

When the Spleen is underperforming it creates what we call “Dampness”. Dampness is what gives you “brain fog” after you eat lunch. You were planning on writing up that report right after lunch and now you can’t remember a thing you wanted to say. Sound familiar? If you’re prone to allergies and asthma, dampness can become mucus that ends up in your sinuses and bronchi. It can also make your muscles feel heavy as if it takes extra energy to lift them. In the GI tract, dampness causes gas, bloating, loose stools, and diarrhea. 

Over time, dampness congeals into “Phlegm”. Phlegm can manifest as adipose tissue (fat), persistent sticky nasal discharge, constant post-nasal drip, a feeling of “stuckness” in the throat, swellings in the skin and lumps.

As you can see, it's important to keep your Spleen in tip top shape to feel your best and have the energy you need for your day.

One of my main tasks as an acupuncturist is making sure your Spleen functions correctly. I use a variety of points on your lower legs to make sure that your food gets digested properly so it gets turned into energy that you can use to go to the gym, think big thoughts, and do what needs to be done. Almost everybody's Spleen is weak to one degree or another; it's a fact of life. Ways to support your Spleen are: 

1) Eating your biggest meal of the day in the morning and smallest in the evening.

3) Eating 3-5 meals throughout the day (ie not skipping meals)

4) Chew each bite thoroughly!
5) Stop eating before you're full
6) Avoid processed foods, sugar, wheat and dairy
7) Cook most or all of your food 
8) Do not eat and work at the same time
9) Have a nice leisurely walk after meals