Spring has sprung in most parts of the country, and while many people are looking forward to longer days and the joys of summer, others are stocking up on medications and preparing for the most miserable time of the year-ALLERGY SEASON!!! For those who suffer from seasonal allergies, spring and summer can be nearly unbearable.
Common symptoms of seasonal allergies are
- Nasal congestion
- Itchy, watery eyes and runny nose
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Itchy throat
- and in severe cases or for those with asthma, wheezing
While these are the symptoms we usually associate with seasonal allergies, allergy sufferers may also experience additional, less obvious, symptoms which they may not connect to their allergies such as
- Itchy skin
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- and even stomach ache
Current allergy treatment most commonly consists of antihistamines, decongestants, nasal steroids, and cromolyn sodium, which help relieve the the symptoms without but do not always address the cause. Immunotherapy, or allergy shots, may be an option in severe cases but are expensive and often involve frequent visits to the doctor over a long period of time.
Dr. Sandra Lin, of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, suggests that acupuncture may be beneficial in treating both seasonal and perennial allergies. Acupuncture as an option for allergy treatment appears in the new guidelines from the Academy of Otolaryngology, intended to help allergy sufferers and their doctors choose the most effective treatments.
According to the British Acupuncture Council, acupuncture improves seasonal allergy symptoms by reducing inflammation, increasing microcirculation, and modulating the immune response. For those seeking a drug-free solution this could be good news.
References:
- http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/02/02/383281431/acupuncture-may-help-with-nasal-allergies-doctors-say
- http://www.acupuncture.org.uk/a-to-z-of-conditions/a-to-z-of-conditions/allergic-rhinitis.html
- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/summer11/articles/summer11pg20.html
- http://www.pollen.com/what-is-allergy.asp
- http://www.pacificcollege.edu/acupuncture-massage-news/articles/872-acupuncture-for-seasonal-allergies.html