A German study has assessed the cost-effectiveness of acupuncture for hayfever and allergic rhinitis, the former being the most common type of allergic rhinitis. A total of 981 patients were randomly allocated to one of two groups: one received usual care alone, whilst the second received usual care plus ten sessions of acupuncture.
Quality of life, and direct and indirect costs, were all assessed at baseline and again after three months. The study concluded that acupuncture in addition to routine care was both beneficial and cost-effective.
(Cost-effectiveness of Acupuncture in Women and Men with Allergic Rhinitis: A Randomised Controlled Study in Usual Care. American Journal of Epidemiology, 1 March 2009.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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