I have had a lot of success treating allergies over the years. Here’s a interesting article about hay fever, but mold allergies, a biggy this time of year with this damp weather, also respond very well to acupuncture.
Really? Acupuncture Can Reduce Symptoms of
Hay Fever
By Anahad O’Connor
March 11, 2013 1:02 pm
REALLY?
Anahad O’Connor tackles health myths.
THE FACTS
Acupuncture is the crown jewel of alternative medicine, recommended for
issues like chronic pain and osteoarthritis. Lately, the ageold treatment has
been promoted as a way to relieve hay fever. But is there any real benefit?
Recently, a team of researchers designed a large trial to figure that out. In
the study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, scientists recruited 422
people with allergies to grass and pollen and randomly assigned them to one of
three groups. One group received 12 acupuncture treatments over eight weeks.
Another was given sham acupuncture treatments equivalent to placebo, and a
third group received no treatment. Each group had access to an antihistamine
“rescue medication.”
After eight weeks, those in the acupuncture group had greater
improvements in symptoms, compared with subjects in the other two groups,
and they used the antihistamine less frequently. But after another eight weeks,
the improvements had faded away, the study found.
A similar study published this month in the journal Allergy also found
that acupuncture treatments, given three times a week over four weeks,
relieved allergy symptoms compared with a sham procedure. But the study did
not follow up with the patients long term.
Acupuncture may make a difference, but only, it seems, with regular
treatments — which are not inexpensive. One session can run $65 to $120, and
some insurers are reluctant to cover it.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Studies suggest that acupuncture can help with symptoms of hay fever,
but the effects may be shortlived.
A version of this article appears in print on 03/12/2013, on page D5 of the NewYork
edition with the headline: The Claim Acupuncture can reduce symptoms of hay
fever..
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/11/really-acupuncture-can-reduce-symptoms-of-hay-fever/?_r=0
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