One question I have been hearing at my clinic for almost two decades is, “Can you treat allergies?”
Yes! I have successfully treated many forms of allergies at my clinic with acupuncture and herbal medicine. This includes allergic rhinitis, chronic maxillary sinusitis, and many other forms. Typical presentations are seasonally active with symptoms associated with what is often called ‘hayfever.’ This includes itching and burning of the eyes, nasal and ear passageway obstruction, general malaise and exhaustion, irritability, and respiratory complications. Patients often report ‘runny nose’, postnasal drip, and chronic sinus and ear infections. Others report chronic obstruction of the nasal and breathing pathways including complications such as chronic bronchitis and asthma. Both the allergies and their complications are treatable with acupuncture and herbal medicine.
INFECTIONS
Acute presentations such as sinus and ear infections are often treatable with relatively immediate effects. In most cases, chronic sinus and ear infections will not reoccur so long as the patient follows through with the course of care and makes dietary changes requisite to prevent allergic reactions. This is true in even the most stubborn and chronic cases. Patients often report repeated use of antibiotics over the course of many years but are pleased to discover that, with acupuncture and herbal medicine, such measures are no longer needed. This is also true for young children who have been on repeated courses of antibiotics. Typically, young children simply require herbal medicine and the removal of dairy products from their diet.
HAYFEVER
Technically, hayfever is an allergic reaction to pollen marked by sneezing, nasal congestion, and itching of the eyes. Colloquially, hayfever describes a wider variety of allergic symptoms, many of which are not triggered by seasonal pathogenic influences. Regardless, hayfever is treatable and my patients enjoy the relief they need for an energetic day and quality sleep at night.
TREATMENT
For patients choosing acupuncture as a modality of care, they can look forward to a comfortable treatment wherein they experience deep relaxation and an opening of the sinus pathways. For patients using herbal medicine, they can look forward to eliminating infections and opening obstructive rhinitis. In both cases, the acupuncture and herbal medicine act to enhance the immune system to overcome this pernicious and often insidious disorder.
The treatment principles for this approach to care date back over 1,000 years including concepts such as detoxifying the respiratory system and benefitting digestion, absorption of nutrients, and improving the distribution and elimination of bodily fluids. Naturally, I use only the finest hair-thin, single use needles such that patients are not only comfortable during their acupuncture treatment but also experience deep relaxation. My herbal medicines meet the finest standards of FDA inspection standards and are the absolute highest quality available in the USA. More than this, my patients enjoy the results of quality care and the elimination of sinus and allergy problems.
