Allergy

Allergies are a global health problem. We can still not fully understand what exactly happen in an simple allergy case in modern science. Neither do other “science”.

But we do already have lot knowledge about allergy. We know:

Allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system [1].

Allergy is excessive activation of certain white blood cells in our immune system such as mast cells and basophiles, and result in an extreme inflammatory response.

We classify allergy as type I (or immediate) hypersensitivity, one of four forms of hypersensitivity.

Common allergic reactions include eczema, hives, hay fever, asthma attacks, food allergies, and reactions to the venom of stinging insects such as wasps and bees [2].

In Sweden, people may pay more attention to pollens allergies and foods allergies, which are highly prevalent there.  Right now still in the time of suffering pollen allergies by some people. The most common symptoms of pollens allergies in the population are sneezing, running nose and itching eyes (or allergic conjunctivitis).

So let me first come to pollens allergies.

Causes:

This is electromicroscopy picture of a birch pollen grain (from G.Jones APMRU). The pollen grain is triangular sphere with size 30 – 35 µm. There are pores with chamber separating inner and outer walls [3].

One protein composed of this sphere is called Bet v 1, which stimulates our immune system and triger the hypersensitivity, is called birch pollen allergen.

In fullowing fruits and vegetables, there are protien with relative structural similarity to that of birch pollen allergen: Apple (Mal d 1), cherry (Pru av 1), apricot (Pru ar 1), pear (Pyr c 1), celery (Api g 1), carrot (Dau c 1), parsley (pcPR), potato (pSTH) [4]. Therefore many patients allergic to birch pollen experience cross-reactive allergy with some of those fruits and vagetables.

Treatments by morden Medicine: Treatments of pollen allergy is dependant upon the type of allergic symptom, the body system affected, and the severity of the reaction. Treatments include:

• Antihistamines – Useful for allergic rhinitis and some allergy mediated skin conditions. Not helpful in asthma except for mild seasonal asthma where allergy may be a precipitant
• Nasal sprays – including topical steroids and antiinflammatories used for allergic rhinitis
• Eyedrops – ketorolac, levocabastine, ketotifen, olapatadine, for allergic conjunctivitis
• Asthma medications such as inhaled beta agonists and inhaled corticosteroids – used to treat asthma which may have allergy as a contributing factor
• Oral steroids – used in short courses for moderate allergic reactions especially with asthma symptoms or skin conditions [5].

Steroid treatment do have a very strong function to improve the symptoms, not only for hay fever, and atopic dermatitis, bronchial asthma, and rheumatoid and so often used, but the side effects are also strong. Long term of using, there will be a variety of abnormalities, and even more serious than hay fever disease.

Understanding by traditiaonal Chinese Medicine:

Traditional Chinese medicine classified pollen allergy as “hot-cold”, “Allergic Rhinitis”. It was already discussed in the oldest Chinese medicine book, “The Book of Huang Emperor”,  more than two thousand years ago: its pathogenesis based on weakness of lung, spleen and kidney,  which are responsible for main part of immune system. The weakeness induces body’s over reaction to pollens. The principles of Chinese medicine treatment is enforce the energy in kidney, spleen and lungs. It can be acheived by applying acupuncture or herbs.

Treatment by traditional Chinese medicine:

Often used points include: Feng Chi, Da Zhui, Fei Shu, Gao Mang, Pi Shu, Shen Shu…

Effective herbs include: Rehmannia, Chinese yam, Poria, Dan, Alisma, Shan Yu, cinnamon, Astragalus…

My experience

Within 3 treatments of acupuncture, patients should feel the effects: reducing suffering symptoms, getting more energetic. With 6-8 treatments of acupuncture, most patients can get rid of the symptoms. We can not stop at this time, it need 2 or 3 more acupuncture to fix the effects. For those patients with serious allergy reaction, can applying herbs together. The synergy of acupuncture and herbs get more effective results. It is important for achieving the effects to apply acupuncture in every second days for the first 3 times, and at lease 2 treatments per week in the following 2 weeks.

I have not meet any patients without seeing any effect after the treatments till now. If you do not see any effect with following this treatment schedule, please change a doctor as a patient, or check the choosed acupuncture points and manipulation methods as a traditionnal Chinese doctor.

references

1. Allergy at Dorland’s Medical Dictionary
2.  “Overview of ‘allergy and allergic diseases: with a view to the future’”. Br. Med. Bull. 56 (4): 843–64. Kay AB (2000). PMID 11359624.

3. http://www.geo.arizona.edu/palynology/pid00016.html

4. Molecular and biochemical classification of plant-derived food allergens. Breiteneder H, Ebner C. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2000 Jul;106(1 Pt 1):27-36. PMID: 10887301

5. http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/p/pollen_allergy/treatments.htm?ktrack=kcplink)

http://www.vcbio.science.ru.nl/en/virtuallessons/pollenplants/

Supplyment for pain causing by inflammtion

A patient ask me about pain on her Metacarpal joint of the right thumb.  It caused by local inflammation. Taking caring this kind of pain is quite similar like what I wrote on yesterday. The inflammation could be cleaned automatically by ourselves immune system. The pain will be easily take away, but it still require some time for get rid of the inflammation. Patient need be care how to use the thumb especially after the pain has been gone for at least 2 month.

Protect low back yourself

Just wonder which topic to be the first one, a patient coming with low back pain. Let me start with low back pain.

The point for treating the low back pain is not taking away the pain, that will be very esay; the point is how to take care low back rutinely posttreatment.

Low back pain in chronic phase is mostly a self limited symptoms, that means it will be recovered itself even without any treatment, if patients do not make it worse theirselves. They just need a well rest.

There many methods can help reducing pain and shortening the recovery time, for example acupuncture, massage (need careful with it, massage could make it worse as well, you need find someone really understanding what their massage doing) and excising.

Most of us have very strong low back which enforce us for many actions. Once the low back get injury, it will be followed with inflammation.  It is take at least 3 months to fully get rid of the inflammation after the pain released. During the 3 months, patients are quite vulnerable to get another hurt where the inflammation exist. The inflammation will stay much long time if one did not care or protect the “weak” low back in a good way during the period. Therefore, patients ofter experience the problem “come and go” for a long time. Actually, this procedure play a role in most of other kind of inflammation related pain.

Ok, writing to much, hope the following advices could help ones with low back pain:

1. To sleep on proper hard sleeping bed, for example, flat hard bottom with a mattris 5-10 cm thick;

2. To sleep early and enough long;

3. To have 5 min laying in bed between waking up and stand up on ground;

4. Before doing any thing, take another 5 min relaxing  after stand up from bed;

5. Alway applying the correct way to sit up from bed: first lay on side, and use hand help to push up the body;

6. Having something under patients’ knee if ones laying on back, bend the knee if laying on side on bed;

7. Never to try their weigh threshold for lifting up, if patients have to lift something, alway, bend knee instead of bend their bodies;

8. Not keep one position too long, especially a long sitting;

9. Not put one leg on the other one with sitting position;

10. Try not turn one’s low back when bending it;

11. “Proper” excising is very good, but strict with “proper“, stopping it whenever one feel uncomfortable.

Hello

Would like to share knowledge and experience with my patients, friends and whom may interested. Hopefully they could help you in any way!

Would like to record memory in the fatastic work which I am doing now. It is enjoyed, friendly and lighting my life. It makes me many friends who have helped me a lot for living in the faraway country. It makes me happy with feeling my patients happiness and successful with my patients recovery! There are so many…