In addition to the developments reported in my earlier posts on this page, further evidence supporting the use of acupuncture for hay fever, has emerged from researchers in Australia.
The study randomly allocated 175 patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis and confirmed as allergic to rye grass pollen, to receive either true acupuncture or sham acupuncture. The latter consisted of needling superficially at non-acupuncture points. Twelve sessions were given over four weeks during the pollen season in Melbourne. True acupuncture was significantly better at reducing symptom severity, namely sneezing and itchiness, and improving quality of life.
(Acupuncture for seasonal allergic rhinitis: a randomized controlled trial. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, June 2015.)
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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