How to Treat Persistent Allergic Rhinitis With Acupuncture

Allergic rhinitis, commonly known as hay fever, is caused by an allergic reaction to plant pollen. It is characterized by itching eyes, runny nose and sneezing. Acupuncture is a series of techniques to manipulate parts of the anatomy that are at or near the surface of the skin, especially with long thin needles.

Instructions

• 1

  Look for evidence suggesting that acupuncture is a useful alternative treatment. Some studies have shown that acupuncture was as effective as antihistamine therapy in relieving the symptoms of hay fever and longer lasting.

• 2

  View hay fever as a deficiency of Wei Qi when using acupuncture to treat the acute symptoms. This is roughly analogous to the resistance to respiratory infections in western medicine. The third liver acupoint (Li3), also known as Sanjian, is most closely associated with the treatment of hay fever symptoms.

• 3

  Look for constitutional signs as well when treating hay fever with acupuncture. The underlying immune system imbalance should be addressed by looking for kidney or spleen deficiency.

• 4

  Include the burning of Artemesia vulgaris (mugwort) in conjunction with needling to enhance the therapeutic effect of acupuncture.

• 5

  Receive two treatments per week at first, beginning four to six weeks before hay fever season starts if possible. Treatments then may be done once per week followed by one every other week. Each treatment is about 40 minutes long.

• 6

  Get a total of six treatments. Acupuncture therapy is usually discontinued at this point if there is no improvement in the symptoms.