All that winter precipitation will give way to a bounty of thriving flora when the warmer months finally arrive. With the wild winter we’ve had this year, the North Carolina mountains are sure to have a vibrantly beautiful spring. This is great news for those who love spring, but a catch-22 for those who suffer from seasonal allergies. The good news is that there is natural relief for allergy sufferers- and that relief need not be temporary. It helps to relieve symptoms such as itchy/watery eyes, congestion, headaches and fatigue, and it brings the body into balance so that it can better defend itself against allergens. Acupuncture is an effective, safe and natural aid in the fight against seasonal allergies.

Many allergy symptoms are located above the neck, that is, in the head. This is an indication that energy is not flowing smoothly from the head into the rest of the body, and vice versa. How does acupuncture treat the symptoms of seasonal allergies? This can be done locally or generally. All the yang meridians flow from the head down to the feet, or from the hands up to the head. Your local Asheville NC acupuncture practitioner can open those channels in the neck and shoulders and allow the energy to flow. In the course of local treatment, small, sterile needles are placed directly on points where symptoms are especially active – like the head or side of the nose – allowing the “congested” energy to free up and dissipate.

Acupuncturists treat very specifically and individually, making sure the underlying cause of allergies are cleared. Your Asheville acupuncture specialist will address the root causes of your allergies by doing a complete inventory and assessment of your whole self. This is the main benefit of acupuncture: bringing a person into balance so that the body may heal itself of physical, mental and emotional ailments – which is not incomprehensible when you think about how they’re all interrelated aspects of the self. When the body is fully in balance, symptoms disappear and health is restored.

These are easy steps to take that don’t cost a lot of money or effort. In other words, nearly anyone can… Aside from receiving acupuncture, Asheville NC or wherever you know of a practitioner, there are some other natural approaches to boosting the immune system and being rid of allergies.

eat local, seasonal foods and more raw foods than you usually would, especially in the warmer months.

take a regular multivitamin/mineral supplement year round.

Eat local honey and bee pollen- test the pollen first by having a tiny granule to make sure you don’t have a reaction. The local honey and bee pollen is made from pollen of local flowers, so when you’re exposed to that later, your immune system will not see it as an invader and try to attack it, causing allergy symptoms.

try a homeopathic allergy remedy. Homeopathic medicine works by matching the vibration of your symptoms to a particular remedy. When the vibrations match, they cancel the symptoms out and improve overall health.