Welcome the light!
Longer days arrive as clocks leap forward; the foreshadowing of spring.
In Chinese medicine, spring is "wood" season- physiologically a time where we & the natural world are primed for innovation. Wood season can also be an erratic time: overcast rainy days give way to blue skies + lilac bloom. Spring is a fertile time for health initiative; light's spaciousness invites us to craft a path towards crafting our most vital selves.
From a health standpoint, spring is predominant for allergy presentation.
If you've heard me speak this year on hormone health, you've likely heard musings on the relationship between histamine, estrogen/progesterone and the DAO enzyme. We're often familiar with histamine as a target for anti-histamine medications, but often unremarked is that histamine is a neurotransmitter and a hormone. While it participates in the immune response, activating mast cells, it is also unique in its choreography with estrogen and progesterone.
In perimenopause, the decade proceeding menopause (mean age in the US is 51), waning progesterone levels (a normal function of reduced ovarian fitness) can lead to a relative dominance in estrogen. Without progesterone's contribution to the activity of DAO enzyme, an enzyme whose job is the breakdown of histamine, novel allergy symptoms may present.
While we may think of sinus, rash, watery eyes or food reactions as symptoms of allergy, the "activation" state of histamine in its neurotransmitter role is also a contributor to insomnia, anxiety and in cases, palpitations. Much of the DAO enzyme activity occurs in the small intestine and patients with "leaky gut" or SIBO (Small intestine bacterial overgrowth) will suffer disproportionately with allergic symptoms. Additionally, an enzyme in the GI tract, Beta glucuronidase, is central to the final phase of estrogen detoxification. When estrogen is "dominant" (given the relative lack of progesterone or some conditions like fibroid or endometriosis which have estrogen dominance as hallmarks), this incomplete excretion puts burden on the liver where hormones are processed.
In our practice, functional medicine testing of hormones (the DUTCH test) and comprehensive GI testing, (the GI Map), illuminate precise targets for optimizing the hormonal milieu & digestion and a woman’s histamine expression. Let us know if you're ready for a closer look at optimization by generating functional medicine insights.
The "acute" care of acupuncture, nutrition and herbal medicine serve as immediate intervention while we collect data for precision in plan generation. This collaborative effort of immediate and long term care is the crux of our clinical philosophy. We delight in taking the long view by providing preventative, precision medicine.
Nutritionally, vitamin C supports histamine clearance.
Look for meyer lemons to add to your water, kiwi, red pepper, broccoli and cabbage. The allium family, onions, leeks and scallions, provide quercetin, a core nutrient for reducing mast cell expression. This family also provides sulforaphane, a unique molecule for rebalancing estrogen metabolism towards protective metabolites for ligaments, mood, skin and cognition.
If mucus is a feature, consider reducing dairy or limiting yourself to A2 dairy; the less inflammatory version found in goat and sheep cheese and A2 versions of milk.
Starting April 1st, acupuncture follow up rates will rise for the first time since 2020. Follow up appointments will be $145 there forward. Thank you for understanding the increased costs of running a small business. We remain honored by your referrals + confidence in our care.
Soak up the expansive daylight and keep in touch as we can participate in your health path. It's a walk we delight in taking with you.
Warmly, Rachel Schaefer LAc FABORM