With a pollen production schedule from November through February, cedar (AKA mountain cedar, or juniper) can create a miserable winter for Austinites. The pollen attaches itself to the mucosal lining of your eyes, nose, and throat, giving rise to nasal congestion, sneezing, itching, and sore throat.
You can reduce symptoms by doing some extra house cleaning and bathing yourself and your pets frequently. You can also prepare and manage your immune system internally with acupuncture and Chinese herbs.
Acupuncture increases the presence of immunoglobulins in the bloodstream. Immunoglobulins are the blueprint for our immunity that we carry from birth. They contain information that allows our system to differentiate between pollens and pathogens.
Cedar irritates and confuses the immune system once it has become sensitized. Some people move to Austin and become sensitized immediately, while others take 1, 2, up to 7 years to do so. After years of regular suffering with only symptomatic treatment, people experience a desensitization; their immune system eventually gives up and lives with the cedar pollens.
Acupuncture can help you skip the 7 years it could take to desensitize your reaction to cedar. By releasing immunoglobulins, acupuncture helps your body identify a real pathogen (such as influenza) as opposed to an allergen. After completing a treatment plan with acupuncture and herbs, most patients are able to manage the occasional reaction by simply washing their faces and hands.
