Hi, I'm Dr. Marie Starling.

At The Healing Center, we help people like you reach their full potential.

I specialize in adjunctive care for internal disorders, autoimmune conditions, IBS, thyroid symptoms, diabetes, and other complex health issues.

Hi, I’m Dr. Marie Starling

At The Healing Center, we help people like you reach their full potential.

I specialize in adjunctive care for internal disorders, autoimmune conditions, IBS, thyroid symptoms, diabetes, and other complex health issues.

Learn More

Tired of Suffering from Seasonal Allergies Year to Year?

While the warmer weather is celebrated by most, there are many of us that also dread what comes with the changing season – allergies! Here in Denver we are already beginning to see an influx of pollen from our local flowers, trees, grasses, and weeds. It is estimated that anywhere from 10% to 30% of the global population is effected by allergic rhinitis (hay fever), and new environmental trend data is showing that airborne pollen is on the rise every year. However, before reaching for the usual antihistamine and decongestant medicine this year, consider looking to acupuncture and Chinese medicine for your allergy relief. This safe alternative can be just as effective as pharmaceuticals but without the undesired side effects like the immune system suppression, drowsiness, and over-reliance on medication.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine is very unique in the way that it treats allergies. The goal is to not only provide symptom relief in patients, but to also treat the underlying root cause of the allergies. Chinese medicine typically identifies that root cause as a weakness in our “Wei Qi”. This Wei Qi most closely represents our immune system. It is an internal force in Chinese medicine that protects us from external invaders (seasonal allergies in this case) – the strength of the Wei Qi comes from the state of our respiratory and gastrointestinal systems.

Each acupuncture treatment here at The Healing Center strives to find the underlying cause of any patient ailment and creates a customized treatment plan that caters to an individual’s own constitution. Many treatment options with acupuncture and Chinese medicine are adaptogenic. This means that it helps your body to create a natural balance or homeostasis, which aids in boosting your immune system to help combat any future pathogens that may try to invade your body. On top of that, special consideration is always made for patients with auto-immune disorders like Celiac disease, immune compromised individuals, and patients with leaky guy issues.

Along with acupuncture and its various treatment modalities, there are many Chinese herbal formulas available at The Healing Center for patients with allergy or other sinus related symptoms:

• AllerEase™ by Blue Poppy Herbs –  This favorite at The Healing Center does an amazing job of treating acute allergic rhinitis with itchy eyes, sneezing, and clear, runny, and itchy nose. It treats these branch symptoms (without drying you out), but also has herbs to help treat the root cause of your allergies by improving your gastrointestinal, respiratory, and immune system.
• Pueraria Clear Sinus™ by Evergreen Herbs – Great for treatment of sinusitis, rhinitis, or sinus infections with yellow nasal discharge. It has antiallergic and antihistamine effects to treat allergy-related issues, but also has natural antibiotic (antiviral and antibacterial) properties if there are any bacterial and viral infections of the nose or sinus cavity.
• Magnolia Clear Sinus™ by Evergreen Herbs- has very similar properties to the Pueraria Clear Sinus, but works better for patients with clear to white nasal discharge (instead of yellow). Its anti-inflammatory properties help to constrict the vessels in the nasal mucosa to promote nasal drainage.
• Corydalin (AC)™ by Evergreen Herbs- treats various types of headaches such as sinus, vascular, stress, orbital, tension, menstrual-relates, or migraine headaches. Its analgesic effect helps relieve pain, while its muscle-relaxant and anti-inflammatory effect improve peripheral and micro-circulation to relieve headaches and prevent cerebral ischemia.
• Honey – Our acupuncturist is also a beekeeper – he maintains 20 hives in the greater Denver area. All hives are 100% chemical treatment-free hives that were collected from local bee swarms. The raw and unfiltered honey from each hive is processed separately, so every jar represents an un-blended single batch honey from a single hive. This gives each jar its own unique flavor and taste.

At The Healing Center we use a combination of both Eastern Medicine and Functional Medicine to approach personalized patient health care from all available modalities – creating profound balance, harmony, and well-being in our patients. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine add another amazing approach to helping us overcome certain ailments like seasonal allergies or sinus related ailments. Book an appointment today with our acupuncturist Erik Johnson to help prevent upcoming seasonal allergies, or to see how this medicine can drastically reduce any symptoms that you are currently experiencing.

Sources

Maciocia, Giovanni. The Foundations of Chinese Medicine. New York: Churchill Livingstone,Inc. 1989

Schmidt CW.”Pollen Overload: Seasonal Allergies in a Changing Climate”. Environ Health Perspect. 2016 Apr;124(4):A70-5. doi: 10.1289/ehp.124-A7