Sundog - yes, chinese herbs can be taken in conjunction with western meds.

There is no single treatment. It depends on the specific condition the person has, on the time of year, on the tendencies of the person and so on. A chinese doc will examine and perscribe herbs- either to cook as a tea or as powder to mix in hot water.

For example - for people with rush on their skin s a result of the allergy - that usually means their blood is too hot and they have too much heating in their body and chi may be too low.

Emotions and physical health are intimately connected. Sadness, nervous tension, anger, worry, fear etc are each associated with a particular organ in the body. For example, irritability and anger relate to the liver and result in eyes problems, menstrual pain, headache, redness of the face and eyes, dizziness etc.
A diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine is individualized.

An allergy to dust for example, that involved the respiratory system are connected to the lung and sadness. It is also connected to low blood circulation and sometimes to blood deficiency.

So every case needs to be examined and the allergy is looked at as part of a wider picture.

The beauty in chinese med is - that if herbs are perscribed correctly - it treats the multitude of symptoms because it treats the problem. If you want more info and you are interested it is worth getting in contact with a genuin chinese doctor. I have been seeing one on and off for the past 7 years.