Acupuncture for Seasonal Allergies
Allergy Season Is Here: Acupuncture Can Help
This is a time of year that a lot of people begin five element acupuncture for allergy relief.
Allergies are an exaggerated immune response to a substance that would otherwise be harmless. The symptoms often include itching, sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, and coughing. Seasonal allergies are an allergic response to either outdoor or indoor allergens such as pollen, dust, mites, and pet dander. Typically, you will find inflammation of the nasal mucous membrane. In Williamsburg, Brooklyn where my acupuncture practice is based, seasonal allergies are mostly experienced from March – October when trees grasses and weeds pollinate - with the first week in May historically the worst time of the year for pollen levels.
Allergies tend to get worse during the warmer months, and that pattern seems to be accelerating with climate change, as the warmer seasons get longer. Those who have seasonal allergies will usually have symptoms in the spring or summer and tend to get relief in the fall or winter. However, those with year-round allergies might experience symptoms all the time with no specific time of the year when symptoms are better. Many people suffer from seasonal allergies at one time or another in their lives.
Allergy treatment: First, what are the conventional options?
There are two main conventional treatments for allergies: immunotherapy and allergy treatment via medication. Immunotherapy is a treatment that builds the immune system up over time to fight allergies, whereas the second approach uses medicines like antihistamines, decongestants, and nasal sprays to help manage symptoms. The most common allergy treatments are anti-histamines (brand names such as Zyrtec, Claritin, and Allegra) and steroid nasal inhalers (such as Flonase). Immunotherapy is a treatment where small amounts of the allergen are introduced into the body over a series of treatments in order to build up resistance to the allergen over time.
Allergists will often advise their clients that it's best to stay indoors as much as possible during allergy season. In my opinion, that doesn’t feel like a great solution or the best way to live. Fortunately, acupuncture can provide relief by reducing or eliminating the body’s exaggerated immune response.
Acupuncture has been found to be effective in treating allergies. Reviewing the published trials, available on PubMed.gov: there is evidence to support the claim that acupuncture is beneficial as a treatment for seasonal allergic rhinitis.
Allergy Treatment: Using acupuncture AND/or a hybrid approach
While there are many testimonials from people who have used acupuncture to successfully treat their allergies, I come at this from my personal experience, with many clients who will speak to its efficacy.
Acupuncture has advantages over other methods of treating allergies, namely that there are no known side effects. While Claritin (loratadine), Zyrtec (cetirizine), or Allegra (fexofenadine) are generally considered some of the safest medications available, they are not entirely free of side effects, and some individuals do not tolerate them well.
Acupuncture can be used alone or in combination with Western medicine. I have seeen the hybrid approach work very well in practice..The decision of whether or not to take any medication is a conversation to have with a doctor, and ultimately it is up to the individual to determine how they would like to proceed. What I can share based on my own clinical experience is that I have found acupuncture helpful in giving people allergy relief both with or without medication. One area in particular that I find acupuncture effective with is in relieving nasal congestion, sneezing and itchiness.
TREATING BOTH THE SYMPTOMS AND THE ROOT CAUSE
David J Leeds’ treatments are designed to meet the needs of the individual, providing allergy relief and addressing the root cause of mast cell inflammation and immune response.
Acupuncture for Allergies: How Does Acupuncture Work?
Acupuncture has been used for over 2,000 years. It is one of the most widely recognized and respected healing modalities within traditional Chinese medicine. Over the past 3 decades, it has gained acceptance globally for: stress and anxiety relief, pain reduction, fertility and women’s health, and migraines. Many top hospitals in the U.S. and Europe now either have acupuncture on site or offer access it. Both the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic have advocated for its use, and have noted its efficacy in helping issues ranging from arthritis relief to the aftereffects of chemotherapy. In more recent years, as awareness of acupuncture has increased, many people have taken note of the healing benefits in other areas, including allergy relief.
Acupuncturists use needles to stimulate the flow of qi through the meridians of the body. By doing this, they direct the flow of qi in such as way as to return balance and harmony to the vital organs, and thereby influencing the health of the overall body.
How Do You Treat Seasonal Allergies in your Practice?
STEP 1: BOLSTERING THE DEFENSIVE QI
For allergy relief, many acupuncturists will focus treatment on bolstering the defensive qi, or the “wei qi” of the body. The wei qi is located in the outermost reaches of the skin and muscles and can be thought of as a protective shield found at the superficial level of the body. Wei qi controls the opening of our pores, and its health is promoted by the quality of the food we eat, our sleep, and environmental factors, such as air quality. The wei chi and its circulation is understood to be under the domain of our lungs. Being that the lungs inhale oxygen, they are the only internal organ that is constantly being exposed to the external environment. As such, the nasal cavity, mucous membranes, and sinuses are commonly affected by an external invasion of pathogens. These external invaders trigger the mast cells into pro-inflammatory behavior, resulting in an allergic response. By bolstering the wei qi, and promoting its circulation, a person’s body is less likely to have a disproportionate inflammatory response.
Personally, I believe this to be an effective treatment approach and should be included as part of treatment. I like this approach because it brings symptomatic relief. It’s worth mentioning however that this approach is not necessarily getting to the root of the problem. One could argue this methodology is similar to the approach of Flonase or Zyrtec (the most popular steroidal nasal inhaler, and antihistamine, respectively), which is to say reduce or control the inflammatory response, without necessarily resolving the underlying issue.
STEP 2: TREATING THE ROOT CAUSE
My treatments for allergy relief are directed at both symptom relief and the root cause. With five element acupuncture, the treatments are designed to meet the needs of the individual, such that we are addressing a particular individual’s challenges and their root cause of imbalance. The beautiful thing about resolving root imbalances is that the results go beyond symptom relief – the problem gets resolved once and for all. A discussion of treating the root cause is beyond the scope of this article, so please have a look at my website to learn more.
David Leeds
Acupuncture in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Five Element Acupuncture
