Allergies affect 10-30% of all people world wide; in the US allergies effect 17.6 million adults and 6.6 million children. Acupuncture is an effective treatment for adults with persistent allergies and the benefit persists for at least 3 months (Xue, 207). In a randomized trial, 80 people with a 2-year+ history of allergies with nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea (significant nasal mucus), sneezing and nasal itch (+ positive skin prick tests to at least one pollen and one non- pollen allergen) received either real or sham acupuncture 2 times per week for 8 weeks (16 treatments). Participants recorded their symptoms: rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, sneezing and nasal itch which were combined to produce a total nasal symptom score (TNSS). At the conclusion of the study, patients who received acupuncture had significantly reduced rhinorrhea and reductions in overall TNSS compared with the control group. 12 weeks later, the improvement in overall TNSS persisted with those in the acupuncture group alone with significant improvement in all four TNSS. Previous studies in both children and adults with seasonal allergic rhinitis have shown similar benefits.
How does acupuncture help improve and prevent allergic rhinitis and other allergic diseases, such as asthma or allergic eczema? Acupuncture modulates the immune system making it less reactive to others benign substances. Studies indicate that it is due to acupuncture down regulating cytokine production of allergen-reactive Th1/ Th2 cells which stimulate interleukin (IL) and interferon (IFN) and IgE. (Hauswald, 2014). Several studies on bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis showed that acupuncture has a modulating affect on pro-inflammatory cytokines with simultaneous improvement of signs and symptoms of allergies.
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Xue, C. C., An, X., Cheung, T. P., Da Costa, C., Lenon, G. B., Thien, F. C., & Story, D. F. (2007). Acupuncture for persistent allergic rhinitis: a randomised, sham-controlled trial. Medical Journal of Australia, 187(6), 337. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17874980
Hauswald, B., & Yarin, Y. M. (2014). Acupuncture in allergic rhinitis: A Mini-Review. Allergo Journal International, 23(4), 115–119. http://doi.org/10.1007/s40629-014-0015-3