For sake of discussion, let’s talk about allergic rhinitis, or hay fever–the epitome of the spring allergy– from a western medical perspective. This allergic rhinitis is a classical example of compromised immunity. Basically, the immune system has a 
hyper response to a strong pathogen (pollen, an abundance of cat dander, etc) and this causes a rapid physiological changes resulting in itchy eyes and throat, sinus congestion, sneezing, asthma and even diarrhea. Exposure to an allergen would cause a massive release of IgE antibodies which attach to white blood cells known as mast cells. These cells are mostly located in the lungs and upper respiratory tract, the lining of the stomach and the skin. When these cells are stimulated, they release a number of chemicals including histamine which produce the allergic symptoms.
So you’ve been told that antihistamines are the answers to your allergy symptoms. Well, antihistamines work well in suppressing the symptoms but not the root cause of weak immune functions.
Traditional Chinese medicine, on the other hand, views allergic rhinitis as a reflection of weak and imbalanced energy in our organs, especially the lungs, the spleen, the liver and gallbladder, and the kidneys. If we can augment the energy flows of those organs, our immune functions can dramatically increase. Acupuncture clearly helps to deal with balancing these organs. Chinese herbs and some nutritional supplements can be of tremendous help also. But you want to do more, get really ready for the brutal allergy attacks, don’t you?
