Hayfever and acupuncture and needle-free acupuncture in Geelong
Spring is coming. Sunshine, green grass and flowers. Life is beautiful again, although that may not be so to some people. With spring, here comes hayfever. If you have an itchy nose, runny nose, and/or itchy eyes, and sneeze a lot, then you might have hayfever, which is also called seasonal allergic rhinitis. For some people, the symptoms are so bad that their sleep is disturbed and their physical and mental functioning decline because the nose is so blocked.
Acupuncture, a non-drug alternative therapy for hayfever
It is easy to take antihistamines, but for some the medications do not work, or used to work, but no longer work. Some people have hayfever-type symptoms all year around, which is called perennial allergic rhinitis. For them, using those medications in long terms might not be a good option. Any other solutions?
Acupuncture is one of the none-drug interventions that have been shown to be effective for hayfever, and is now in the Guidelines for treating hayfever.
In the last 20 years, researches at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, have conducted a few randomised and controlled trials and found acupuncture was better than sham acupuncture, or fake acupuncture, for seasonal and as well as perennial hayfever.
Needle-free options for acupuncture
In the hayfever season, weekly acupuncture treatments at our Geelong clinic for six weeks are needed. For those who do not like acupuncture, needle-free acupuncture can be used to stimulating therapeutic body point.
“Take away” treatment
At Geelong Chinese Medicine Clinic, we will apply seeds or beads to certain areas of your ears. This is called auricular acupressure. It is “take away” treatment to sustain the effect of acupuncture. Chinese herbal medicine is also commonly prescribed for hayfever. The outcome of the combined therapies is often very good.
Individualised approaches to hayfever
From a Chinese medicine view, hayfever is due to that body’s defence system being weak. Depending on your presentations, there are at least three different types of weak defence system. Treatments need to be provided accordingly to strength those systems to moderate the allergic reaction. It is also advisable to have a few treatments during non-hayfever season to prevent hayfever.
Preventative measures for you to take
Please check our previous blog on how to reduce contact with allergens.