Acupuncture is a treatment developed by traditional Chinese medical practitioners to treat a wide range of health problems. Once only used in Eastern cultures, it has gradually gained respect and acceptance by medical professionals in the West. Acupuncture is now commonly used to treat everything from pain to nausea following surgery. Lesser-known uses, such as the treatment of allergies, are also gaining traction.

Acupuncture is an ancient practice, possibly dating to prehistory in what is now China. It is based on the belief that life energy, called qi (pronounced "chee"), flows throughout the body along pathways called meridians. By inserting thin needles at specific points, called "acupuncture points," skilled practitioners seek to restore the flow of energy to eliminate pain and disease.

Acupuncture and Allergies
What about acupuncture for the treatment of allergies? Preliminary research indicates that acupuncture may actually help allergy symptoms. A recent study conducted in South Korea examined the effectiveness of acupuncture for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis and allergic rhinitis.

Chronic rhinosinusitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the moist tissues of the nasal passages and sinuses, which lasts for three months or more. It is associated with perennial allergies, and can sometimes be complicated by allergic rhinitis, or "hay fever," which is generally associated with seasonal inhalant allergies, triggered by exposure to allergens such as grass or tree pollens.

A study used patients suffering from both of these conditions. For five weeks, subjects submitted to two 20-minute acupuncture treatments, administered by experienced traditional medical doctors with at least seven years of acupuncture experience. Patients’ symptoms and quality-of-life scores were assessed at the beginning of the trial, at its end, and again eight weeks after the beginning of the trial.

Patients experienced statistically significant reductions in symptoms at five and eight weeks after the beginning of the trial. This study didn’t use controls, and the number of subjects, at 19, was small, but the investigators concluded that acupuncture was "clinically effective". They also noted that additional larger, controlled trials are warranted. Fortunately, German researchers have taken up the challenge.