Modern technological progress unfortunately has been accompanied by a number of new illnesses that did not exist before. Among them is the problem of food allergies. This is becoming a common problem difficult to cure. Western medicine does not yet have a cure and traditional Chinese medicine also finds this problem difficult to treat.

Many food allergy patients become progressively limited in the kinds of food they can eat. Often they are limited to two or three kinds of food for sustaining life. They lose weight, become severely depressed and become progressively weaker and weaker. Typically, these patients have a hungry and depressed physical appearance. Although there are no harmful side-effects from the use of Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of this condition, improvement is minimal with herbs alone. Because of this. the writer decided to eliminate herbal medicine and use a combination of qigong and acupuncture for treatment. 52 food allergy patients were treated by the writer using these techniques. All but two showed some improvement in their condition. The details of the treatment procedures are as follows:

Procedures:
Of the 52 cases treated 10 were males and 42 were females. Their age ranged from 9 to 45 years. All had medical diagnosis of food allergy problems with a duration from 1 year to 25 years. All had been previously treated by Western medical techniques without success.

Treatment methods
The major treatment consisted of qigong projection. This was supported by acupuncture techniques. Acupuncture was used mainly in the early stages of treatment and qigong was used in the later stages.

Acupuncture Points Used
1. Ganshu (UB 18), Pishu (UB 20)
Weishu (UB 21 ), Dachangshu (UB 25)
Feishu (UB 13 ), Fengchi (GB 20 )
2. Yang ling quan (GB 34), Zusanli (St 36)
Shangjuxu (St 37 ), Lieque (Lu 7 )
Hegu (LI 4)

Qigong Method:
During the early stages of qigong projection the patient was given relaxation instructions in a supine position with the eyes closed. The writer then emitted his qi from his palm to the above mentioned acupuncture points. When the patient's health improved his position was changed from a supine to a sitting position in a chair.

Treatment effects:
The following 4 categories were used to rate patients’ progress:
l) Completely cured The patient can eat any kind of food with no limitations.
2) Partially cured: The patient's allergic reactions are present but are much less severe.
3) Minimally cured: The patient's allergic reactions are present but they have improved slightly.
4) No improvement: There is no change in the patient's condition.
17 out of the 52 patients (32.69%) were in Category 1, showing partial recovery [ED: complete cure?]. 25 patients (48.08%) were in Category 2, showing partial recovery. 8 patients (15.38%) were in Category 3 with minimal recovery and 2 patients (3.85%) were in Category 4 with no improvement.

Discussion:
Food allergies can be due to a number of causative factors:
1. They can be present at birth as a result of pre-natal or genetic abnormalities in one or both parents, however not all children in a family will have the same kinds of allergies.

2. Allergies can also be acquired after birth. Modern industrialization and agricultural mass production methods have resulted in wide spread pollution problems of air, water and food supplies. There is evidence that many people are adversely affected by residues of insecticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, chemical additives in food as well as growth hormones and antibiotics in meat supplies. Powerful new chemical drugs used in Western medicine may also produce side-effects which can lead to allergies.
The immune system's defense mechanisms can be affected by environmental pollutants and become progressively weaker and weaker. Epidermal and other cells may be destroyed and as the immune system breaks down the person will gradually become allergic to substances which previously caused no difficulties.

3. The person's digestive system may not be fully functional. Undigested food materials may then accumulate in the lower intestines leading to auto-intoxication and allergies.
Whatever the specific cause is, however, the key factor appears to be a weakening of the body's natural defense mechanisms. This is consistent with the statements in the 'Classic of Internal Medicine', which emphasizes that when the qi is weak in the body there will be illness. A person will be prone to illness when the qi level is low.

Treatment Recommendations:
Strengthening of the spleen, liver, stomach and lung systems is essential for treatment. The spleen and stomach systems provide general health for the body. By strengthening the qi, the liver system clears toxins from the body while the lung system strengthens skin cells and provides general protection for the body. Strengthening all of these systems together will improve the overall immune system.
Using the emitted qi of qigong in combination with acupuncture increases qi, which will help the function of the internal organs and improve the immune system. Gradually the intensity of allergic reactions will decrease and substances will cease to be allergens. The 'Classic of Internal Medicine' stated that if the body is full of qi, diseases cannot invade. This is consistent with the field of modern holistic medicine.
In conclusion it can be stated that food allergies can be successfully treated and also cured in many cases by using the techniques of the emitted qi and acupuncture.

Use of emitted qi in qigong and acupuncture in the treatment of food allergies