Allergic reactions: sneezing; nasal congestion; runny nose; headaches; fatigue; watery, itchy, or red eyes; and sometimes coughing and wheezing, are a fact of life. Spring brings tree, grass and weed pollens. Mold and spores, dust, dust mites, and animal dander waft through the air year-round.
The usual approach to relief
When it is not possible to avoid allergens, like pollen or animal dander, many patients turn to over-the-counter antihistamines for relief, but these too often are inadequate. Turning to an allergist, they may try a prescription approach or allergy shots.
Problems with the Western medical approach
Antihistamines, decongestants and other medications often have unpleasant side effects, such as drowsiness, high blood pressure, lightheadedness, blurry vision, dry mouth, and even immune system suppression.
Allergy injections and other intensive approaches may not work and it will take from months to years to find out.
Acupuncture may be an effective therapy
Acupuncture treats the whole person and is far more individualized than it would be with Western medicine. All symptoms in each patient are examined for patterns, and the treatment is individually designed to relieve these specific symptoms.
Although acupuncture made its early “reputation” in the United States with its ability to relieve pain, recent studies have begun to show that acupuncture might relieve sneezing and itchy eyes of allergy sufferers.
Some Study results
The journal Annals of Internal Medicine reported: 422 people, who tested positive for pollen allergies and had allergic nasal symptoms, were divided into 3 groups. Each group took antihistamines. One group received 12 acupuncture treatments, another group received 12 fake acupuncture treatments, and the third only took antihistamines. After 2 months the group receiving real acupuncture therapy with their antihistamines showed more improvement in their allergy symptoms and less use of antihistamines.
In the American Journal of Chinese Medicine, half of a group of 72 sufferers reported relief with only two acupuncture treatments.
Our advice
Acupuncture, alone or combined with a Western approach, is a reasonable and safe approach to relieving allergy symptoms.
Dr. Benno Brinkhaus of the Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics at Charité University Medical Center in Berlin has observed: “From my experience as a physician and acupuncturist, and as a researcher, I would recommend trying acupuncture if patients are not satisfied with the conventional anti-allergic medication or treatment or they suffer from more or less serious sides effects of the conventional medication.”
Sources
http://www.lifescript.com/health/centers/allergies/drugs/medications_for_allergic_rhinitis.aspx
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/19/health/acupuncture-allergies/index.html Acupuncture may be antidote for allergies By Alexandra Sifferlin, TIME.com updated 10:16 AM EST, Thu March 7, 2013
https://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/Treating+Allergies+with+Acupuncture+and+Oriental+Medicine Treating Allergies with Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine By: Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, L.Ac.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/04/03/acupuncture-pins-down-allergy-relief/ Acupuncture Pins Down Allergy Relief By Dr. Manny Alvarez, chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Science at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. April 03, 2007
http://www.janinelex.com/treatment/acupuncture/acupuncture-and-allergies/ Dr. Janine Lex earned her doctorate in Chiropractic in 1984 and earned her certification in Acupuncture through the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada Institute, University of Toronto Medical School.