Relief for hayfever, sinus pain and lingering coughs

By Rima Truchanas and Susan Lintott

Spring is a wonderful season, full of dynamic growth and change potential. However, hayfever can be an unwelcome challenge to people sensitive to pollens and other allergens, especially if your respiratory and immune systems have just struggled through winter colds, persistent coughs and flus.

Use preventative measures to strengthen these systems up, so you can be more resilient to hayfever triggers.  Reducing other allergen exposure such as pet dander, mould spores and dust mites can also help to take the load off the immune system and reduce the allergic response to air-borne pollens.

If your lungs haven’t felt the same since that lingering cough took hold, try acupuncture and herbal medicine to help resolve it, and recover your breath and your energy.  If it’s a dry cough, eat pears, honey and drink plenty of water to keep the lungs moist and mobile. Rattling or dry coughs benefit from steam inhalations too, with a drop of eucalyptus oil to open the airways.

This can be really helpful at night before bed, or to wake up your lungs in the morning. Children’s coughs can also be treated effectively, using simple, gentle methods, including diet, herbs and paediatric non-insertive techniques.

Sinus pressure and pain can also be substantially relieved using acupuncture and herbal medicine. Inhaling thyme oil clears sinusitis and other upper respiratory bacterial infections. Herbs such as Albizia and Biacal Scullcap span both western and Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of hayfever because of their powerful ability in reducing the body’s allergy response. Another significant herb in formulas from your Acupuncturist or Naturopath is Magnolia, which is out in full beauty at this time of year.

Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine can provide assistance for hayfever, sinus pain and many types of coughs. Please call Rima Truchanas for Chinese Medicine at Healing Well on 0408 407403  or Susan Lintott, Naturopath at Healing Well on 0401 764050 to make an appointment, and breathe easy.