re: Herbal Therapy as Good as Zyrtec for Allergies

Greg Nolan — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:29:12 GMT

Butterbur causes scaring of the lungs. Do a search on this. I think Mercola really missed the mark on this one. Just because it says herb and natural does not mean safe. Hemlock is a herb and natural, just ask Socrates.

re: Herbal Therapy as Good as Zyrtec for Allergies

anahata — Sat, 16 May 2009 05:50:46 GMT

"Herbs are nearly always less toxic and less expensive than drugs. However, they are clearly only a band-aid and not to be used as a long-term solution."

That's absurd!

I have helped many patients successfully overcome allergies using herbs. They are effective for acute symptom relief and they can provide long term improvement and even cure. Typically, the Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) view is that the lung network and digestive system (poorly translated as "spleen") are depleted, leading to a sort of hyper-defensive state that produces immune responses to harmless materials, such as dust and pollen. When these organs are rehabilitated using tonic herbs (e.g., codonopsis, licorice, atractylodes, astragalus, & others) they gradually become less prone to "invasion" by allergens and are stable even in the presence of these formerly antagonistic factors. The digestive system is of particular significance, since the main digestive organs are considered to be the "mother" of the lung system, and directly affect the lungs' vitality. Moreover, the digestive organs are considered to be a primary source of phlegm production when they are not functioning optimally or the diet is out of balance.

It is worth noting that a unique strength of TCM in the treatment of allergies is that "allergy" doesn't actually figure into Chinese diagnostic terminology. Thus, each patient's case must be considered individually. "Dust mite allergy" could be a 3 different patterns in 3 different people. While this makes diagnosis a more difficult process, it also makes for a highly effective system of medicine. It is also worth noting that not all acupuncturists in the U.S. have training in Chinese herbal medicine, and much of the herbal training programs in the U.S. still leave much to be desired. But in the hands of a well-trained herbalist, herbs are easily as effective as pharmaceutical drugs while also possessing the ability to support a person's core vitality.

- Peter Borten, L.Ac.