By Dr. Peter Wood, DTCM, R.Ac.

Every three to seven years - and on average, every five - the climate pattern called El Nino brings with it generally warmer and drier winters. This past winter saw the effects of El Nino, such that the weather in Vancouver experienced subtropical-like weather during the Olympic Winter Games. As snow was flown in from a mountain near Hope to provide a ski surface for the events taking place on a melting Cypress mountain, residents of Vancouver and tourists alike were noticing other effects El Nino was having on their well being.

• An earlier and heavier pollination period brought on by the unseasonably warm winter weather had Vancouverites reaching for their tissue boxes, antihistamine bottles, steroid nasal sprays, and (preferably) Chinese herbal remedies at a record pace. In clinic, patients regularly reported that their allergy and asthma symptoms were worse this year than in any previous year, and many also reported that this was the first year that they could recall experiencing allergic hay fever symptoms.
• This ’bumper-crop’ year of natural environmental allergy triggers is an opportunity for us to take note of our state of health. From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, allergies of any sort are a function of an underlying weakness in certain organs systems, namely those of the Spleen and Lung.
• The Spleen-Pancreas energy system (the digestive system) is in charge of the transformation of food into pure energy for the body’s use. A poor diet of excessive sweet, greasy, and raw foods, and a lack of exercise will inhibit Spleen function. When the Spleen is weak, it is limited in its ability to carry out the important task of extracting the pure food energies, and is further unable to send these energies up to the Lung to be distributed to the rest of the body. Over time, the Lung itself also becomes weak due to a lack of nourishment form the Spleen.
• The Lung is in charge of Wei Qi, or defensive energy. One can imagine that this energy circulates on the exterior of the body creating a shield against the invasion of external pathogens (viruses, allergens, etc.). When this shield is weak, we become more prone to catching colds, and suffering from the annoyance brought on by hay fever; sneezing, sinus pressure, watery eyes and a runny nose.
• Conventional medicines, although their effects are relatively immediate, do not address the underlying problem causing the histamine reaction of the allergic response. Anti-histamines shut off the immune system’s normal (but, in the case of allergies, over-reactive) response to contact with an allergen. This may be sufficient for short-term relief, but it is necessary that we address the ’root’ of the problem: weakened Spleen and Liver evergy systems.
• Left untreated over time, weak Spleen and Liver systems will often produce  the following symptoms: general fatigue, seasonal affective disorder, poor digestion, development of food allergies, a propensity to catch frequent colds (which tend to linger), shortness of breath, and a pale complexion.
• Recent scientific studies have shown that Chinese medicinal herbs have proven to have a ’rebalancing’ effect on the immune system. Please see my recent blog entry article: "Exciting new research: Scientific proof of Chinese medicine’s principle of Balance". It can be found in the blog section of our website at http://qiintegratedhealth.com/blog/

Although El Nino’s effects on Vancouver’s winter of 2010 wreaked havoc on the budget of the Olympic games and has many of us sneezing into our sleeves, it also provided for us the distinct opportunity to sneak a peak into our states of well being, and to take a proactive step in strenghthening our immune systems against the future attack of seasonal allergies.

If you have any inquiries about allergy treatment with Chinese herbal medicines, or would like to book an herbal consult, please stop by to see us or give us a call at 604-742-8383.

Wishing you a comfortable allergy season.

*The information contained is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, treat, or prevent illness.

Prepared by Qi Integrated Health Centre Inc. April 2010.