Can Acupuncture Help Allergies?
The short answer is yes! I use Acupuncture for allergies at my acupuncture clinic in Tampa every single day and it works so well! Let me jump into how acupuncture can help your allergies and why you should give it a try!
Seasonal allergies respond best!
Symptoms of running nose, sneezing, and watery itchy eyes that recur during specific parts of the year (especially Spring and Fall) are a cause of much suffering of a large segment of the U.S. population. Millions of dollars are spent on medications and the allergy shots for the treatment of seasonal allergies. Outside of these shots and pills, your regular doctor doesn’t have much else to offer – that’s where Eastern Medicine (Acupuncture & Herbs) can step in to help.
The research on Acupuncture For Allergies
To minimise or prevent your allergy symptoms, acupuncture can help. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers seasonal allergies, as well as asthma and sinusitis, as respiratory diseases that can be helped effectively with acupuncture.
Another study at the University Medical Center in Berlin conducted a large, multi-center studyTrusted Source of the effectiveness of acupuncture for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis, or hay fever. The study divided 422 people into three groups for two months: one group received acupuncture treatment, the second received “fake” acupuncture, with needles placed in random, meaningless spots on their bodies, and the third group only took antihistamines. At the end of the study, the group that received acupuncture therapy reported greater relief from symptoms than the other two groups.
Allergy Acupuncture Patient Success Story
Ms. E had SEVERE environmental allergies that required allergy medication, regular allergy shorts and using an inhaler on an almost daily basis. After just 6 acupuncture visits she was able to cut her inhaler use in ⅓ and reduce the amount of allergy medicine she needed. We’ve been working together on a maintenance basis now and she is off her medications and rarely uses her inhaler. She is actually even able to be around her sons dog now without her allergies going crazy!
What to expect?
Acupuncture points for allergies are really gentle and most people end up taking a 15 minute nap during their treatment. Expect to need a series of treatments to help regulate your allergies (and immune system). Most people come weekly for a month then every other week for a month then once a month as maintenance.
The Good News
Dr. Josh Hanson uses acupuncture to help patients with allergies every single day and it really help! There are no downsides or side effects to acupuncture for allergies (unlike taking allergy shots or medications) and acupuncture can help your pills/shots work even better. There’s no reason not to give it a try!
