中醫認為久治不愈的濕疹和鼻敏感都是「虛」症。到底「虛」是什麼呢？「虛」即是不足。 由於脾臟的運化能力不足引起的濕疹，主要成因是「脾虛」；由於肺氣的固攝能力不足導致的鼻敏感，主要成因是「肺虛」。

無論「脾虛」或「肺虛」都可以是先天問題，也可以是後天問題；可以由日常飲食導致，也可跟生活起居有關。生活起居的致病因素到底是什麼呢？其實可以有很多，中醫學把大自然的存在的自然現象及氣象歸類，將其的「風、寒、暑、濕、燥、熱」稱為「六淫」或「六邪」，這是最常見的六種致病因素。

當六邪侵襲人體時，一個正常而健康的身體是會自我調節以應付的，但當身體出現健康問題或臟腑機能差時，被受襲擊的身體就會產生疾病。久病多虛是中醫對一些纏綿難癒的疾病之發病機理的理解。上文提過絕大多數的長期敏感症患者都是「虛證」，虛即意味著當身體受致病因素影響時未能即時為保護自身的健康而作出適當的反應，因而導致疾病發生，例如身體因脾弱而不能將濕化掉，令身體產生一系列濕病；因肺弱而令到燥邪氾濫而引起一些燥病。

在撇開病從口入這一主要感染疾病的途徑不談，身體會感染外來病邪的途徑還包括呼吸、接觸等途徑。那些存在於大氣之中而我們肉眼看不見的物質，往往也是很主要的致病因素，亦是很多過敏症患者的主要致敏原的來源；例如家居及室內最常見的各類霉菌及微塵，也有很多建材及傢俬所含有的揮發性化學物質等，都是一些我們接觸得到而看不見的物質，對過敏症患者來說，均是可大可小的致病因素。弄清楚身體對那些呼入物具有過敏反應，對醫者治療患者極有幫助。一方面改善病患的身體機能，另一方面患者又對已知的致敏原避之則吉，療效會究事半功倍。

我自已就最怕裝修場地的揮發物質，吸入那些氣味刺激的物質，鼻子會即時作出嚴重抗議，令我不得不馬上離開現場。另外到某些家具店逛時，筆者的眼睛及皮膚就是測試那些家具是否符合健康標準的最佳功具：若眼睛馬上感到刺痛並流眼水，待久些馬上就會皮膚搔癢或出疹子，我便知道這些家具的品質如何了。剛才所說的都是已知或可被察覺的物質，但那些無色無味令人不知不覺的物質呢，怎辦？只有測試才能確認。




我認識一個病人叫John，他天生就對很多食物有不同程度的過敏反應。在他被派往內地工作後，其哮喘的發作頻率增加了，而發病時的嚴重程度也同時增加，因而每次病發都使用類固醇藥物抑制，藥效一過病情又再反覆。他每次回港時都來就診，我處方一些過去對他極有效的固本培元中藥給他，往往可改善他的身體狀況及減輕其病情，但不出3-4週他總有一次突然嚴重發病，氣喘而呼吸困難，每每要看急症及注射藥物來解決。我建議他測試吸入的即時反應，結果顯示他對很多霉菌及貓、狗、塵和蟑螂有過敏反應。

細查來源原來是他在內地工作所住的地方，蟑螂很多，隔壁隣居又養了很多貓、狗，著他細心查看屋內的暗角等隱閉地方，又發現很多木板傢俬或長了很多霉點；這正好解釋了為什麼John在港時病都幾乎不存在，為何往內地工作了一陣子健康即急速變差。後來他搬離原來住的地方，換過一個比較適合他的居住環境後，病發即時少了。這當然也跟他很著重保持室內環境乾燥清潔有關，因他知道室內物品一旦受潮，很容易滋生霉菌，正因為他測試過，知道原來室內霉菌是他主要的致敏原，所以他才能有效的「對症下藥」，減少致敏的機會。

現在這個病人我大概就是一年見他3、4次，多因傷風感冒等原因，另有二次就是每年進行「天灸」的日子，因「天灸」是中醫預防致敏性疾患的最佳「疫苗」。

TCM doctors believe failures of curing eczema and allergic rhinitis after long treatments are due to ‘weakness’ inside the body. ‘Weakness’ means ‘deficiency’. Spleen weakness caused by weakened transporting ability of spleen could contribute to the formation of eczema; lung weakness caused by poor condensation ability of lung qi (‘lung air’) could bring allergic rhinitis.


Both lung and spleen weaknesses can be either congenital or post-natal; and they can also be influenced by diet and lifestyle. The pathogenic factors in daily life are classified as six categories, six evils (six climatic exopathogens), including ‘wind, cold, hot, humid, dry, heat’.

When six evils invade our body, a healthy body can adjust itself to handle the invasion. But when our system or organ dysfunctions; the attack develops into a disease. From a TCM point of view, persistent diseases are mainly due to weakness. As mentioned, most of the chronic allergic patients have problems on weakness of organs. That means the body is unable to protect its own health immediately by responding properly when it is under invasion. Therefore, diseases appear; i.e. when the body cannot get the humidity inside our body away owing to spleen weakness, leading to humidity-associating diseases; because of lung weakness, dry evil becomes over-flown to stimulate the dry-associating diseases.




Some pathogens invading our body through breathing and physical contact cannot be observed by our naked eyes are also the primary etiological factors causing allergies, such as molds, dusts and volatile organic compounds found in constructional materials and furniture. To allergic patients, they may be detrimental. Therefore, pinpointing the problematic inhalants provides extremely useful information for the doctors to treat them, also helps to improves patients’ body functions by avoiding the allergic inhalants and enhancing the efficiency of the treatment.

John is one of my patients congenitally allergic to a number of foods. After working in Mainland China, asthma breaks out with increased frequency and severity. Steroids are used, but symptoms resumed once he stopped using them. He sought help from me in a trip back to HK, I prescribed some Chinese medicines that were useful to improve the status of his health and relieve his symptoms. However, after 3-4 weeks, he has a sudden and severe asthma breakout that makes into the emergency room for a shot. Therefore, I suggested him to test immediate-onset/IgE inhalant allergy. The results revealed that he is allergic to molds, allergens from cats and dogs, and dusts. He soon found out there are a lot of mold spots on wooden furniture and, cats and dogs raised by his neighborhoods. This perfectly explains why John didn’t have any allergies in HK but turned bad rapidly when he worked in China. After that, he moved to a new home, and started to pay attention to the indoor environment. His asthma has gone. Thanks to the test that he took, he knew what he is allergic to, so that he can tackle the sources of his problem to reduce allergic exposure. Now I only see him three to four times a year, mainly due to common cold as well as other two times for semi-annual acupunctures being the best vaccine as the prevention of allergies.



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