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Allergies

930 Logan Street #101 & 102
Denver, Co 80203
720.284.1374

Licensed Acupuncturist and Practitioner of Chinese Medicine

John S. Aguilar Jr., L.Ac.

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  Home : Acupuncture For... : Allergies

From a Chinese medical perspective, which is rooted in different fundamental theories than its Western counterpart, allergies are the result of the inappropriate presence of external pathogens in the body. There are two general approaches to treatment. One approach focuses on the pathogen. You can attempt to isolate the offending pathogen and either eliminate it from your environment or attempt to develop greater individualized immunity to it.
       
The second approach focuses on the idea that there must have been a weakness of some sort in the body in order for the pathogen to gain access, a 'chink' in the armor, if you will. Where the system is strong and healthy, pathogens cannot gain entrance and cause allergies. Instead of trying to isolate the pathogen, attention is placed on the state of health of the patient.

There are certain organ systems more directly responsible for protection from external invasion, others that provide direct support for those systems, and the rest maintain general health. Effective Chinese medical treatment analyzes these systems to reveal where the weakness lies. That system is strengthened or regulated as needed, thus eliminating the allergies.

Depending on the current state of health and underlying constitution, symptom alleviation may be immediate. Often times, regular treatments keep the symptoms at bay, while slowly strengthening the system to be rid of the allergies permanently.

An advantage to this approach (strengthening the system and improving health) is that you end up healthier at the conclusion of treatments. Though it may take longer than treatment focused solely on the pathogen, your whole system is strengthened. Often times, I have patients report the disappearance of problems and symptoms we had no intention of addressing specifically. When the body gets healthier, many areas of life improve. 

Treatment of allergies will include acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. As discussed above, symptom alleviation will likely occur within the first two treatments. Depending on the systemic cause of the allergies, lasting effects may take two to six months of treatments. Please consult with a licensed acupuncturist (L.Ac.) for details specific to you and your situation.

For more on what Chinese medicine can treat, please click here.
       
For information on the basics of health and healthy living, please click here.
   

All contents Copyright
John Aguilar, Jr. 2008