Hay Fever & Allergies

The Hay Fever Allergies Programme is designed to eliminate your allergic reactions while strengthening your resistance against hay-fever or other allergies.

This treatment programme combines authentic syndrome acupuncture and powerful Chinese herbal medicine to naturally treat hay-fever, rhinitis and other allergies. All treatment is from a fully qualified CMIR-registered doctor with extensive Western medical training.

Our Hay Fever Allergies Programme includes:

• A full Chinese medical diagnosis with personalised lifestyle advice
• A session of authentic syndrome acupuncture plus auricular therapy (a type of ear acupuncture)
• An individualised herbal prescription from our doctors

How this treatment is different

AcuMedic’s Hay Fever Allergies Programme is designed specifically to treat your hay-fever and allergies by balancing the immune system so that it cannot over-react to allergens that trigger the symptoms such as itchy and sore eyes and throat, sneezing, nasal inflammation and other related discomforts. We have decades of experience of successfully treating hay-fever.

Auricular therapy is often prescribed to treat hay-fever and allergies. This treatment is based on the same principles as acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. The therapy involves attaching tiny metal balls or medicated seeds onto specific points on the outer ear (by using small, discreet plasters) in order for you to to stimulate those areas in between acupuncture sessions in order to maintain the effects of your prescribed treatment.

How we can help you

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can be prescribed according to Chinese Medical theory to treat hay fever. This can achieve fairly fast and lasting results. For example, nasal congestion, discharge, and itching can be relieved during the first acupuncture treatment.

Chinese Medicine and acupuncture are very successful at treating disorders of the immune system, such as allergies. In essence, hay-fever and other allergies demonstrates that your immune system is hypersensitive and out of balance.

At the AcuMedic Hay-Fever/Allergies treatment programme a fully qualified CMIR-registered Chinese Medical doctors will look at the particular causes of this imbalance in your individual case, and by using Chinese herbs and syndrome acupuncture, help your body to regulate itself. In this way, Chinese Medicine does not simply treat the symptoms of the allergic reactions but addresses the cause of the allergy at its root.

Studies have shown that the success rate for allergy treatment using Chinese Medicine is around 80-90%.

The World Health Organisation strongly recommends acupuncture for hay fever (seasonal rhinitis). Clinical trials have shown this natural medicine to be more effective than antihistamine drugs.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine has been shown to be very effective in treating allergies. In a comparative study on treating Type I allergic diseases, acupuncture and desensitisation therapies were used in 143 cases. The outcome showed that acupuncture had an extensive and remarkable effect on Type I allergic reactions. The curative effect was higher in the acupuncture group than in the desensitisation group (Journal of TCM, 1993 Dec.).

For best results, you should start the treatment before the pollen season begins or as soon as you experience the symptoms. A course of 4 weeks of Chinese Medical treatment before the pollen season starts can often prevent hay fever or reduce the severity of its symptoms significantly.

All the acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatments at AcuMedic are compatible with Western medicine. Many of our hay fever patients have found the prescribed Chinese Medicine to be more helpful than Western medications.

For more advice, please see our free guide to Chinese Medicine for allergies.

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+ About the Acupuncture at AcuMedic

Acupuncture treatment is available all over the world but not all acupuncturists are the same. Many acupuncturists in the West are only trained in a small modality of acupuncture such as trigger point acupuncture or perhaps 5 Element acupuncture. AcuMedicin London treats with syndrome acupuncture which is based on the complete system of theories in Chinese Medicine (including trigger point and 5 Element). This is authentic acupuncture treatment as practised in China and is based on Syndrome Differentiation diagnosis.

+ How it works

According to Chinese Medicine, hay-fever is a condition of atopy (a form of hypersensitivity) and is very successfully treated using acupuncture and Chinese herbs.

Hay-fever is usually attributed to a deficiency of Qi (the body’s essential energy) and an invasion of Wind-Heat in the Lung. To treat hay-fever, generally the aim of acupuncture is to open the Lung Qi to expel the Wind-Heat. As part of the Chinese medical treatment for hay fever a Chinese herbs will be selected specifically according to your condition and will be altered as your symptoms change.

Although acupuncture is often associated with pain control, in the hands of a well-trained practitioner it has much broader application. The modern scientific explanation is that acupuncture stimulates the nervous system to release chemicals that influence the internal regulating system of the body. The improved energy and biochemical balance produced by acupuncture results in stimulating the natural healing abilities of the body. It can help to strengthen the resistance of the body and can regulate the reactions of the antigen-antibodies in your body. This is important in helping to relieve hay fever and other allergic reactions such as asthma.

As hay fever is fundamentally the result of a weakness in the immune system according to Chinese Medical theory, acupuncture and Chinese herbs will aim to primarily strengthen it and support the necessary changes in the lifestyle and diet of the patient. In addition to immune boosting Chinese herbs, regular physical exercises and healthy diet are important.

To find out more read our brief Introduction to Chinese Medicine.

+ What to Expect

A fully qualified CMIR-registered Chinese Medical doctor will provide you with a full diagnosis and consultation to learn about your allergy and your overall health. The doctor will also identify any dietary reasons behind your allergies.

The AcuMedic doctor will explain to you how they will tailor the acupuncture and Chinese herbal treatment to your allergy and your individual health needs as well as any other health issues you might be having at the moment.

+ Diagnosis and Consultation

There are four main diagnostic methods in Chinese Medicine which are observing, pulse diagnosis, questioning and listening. Each method has a unique function in the process of collecting different clinical information and understanding what triggers your allergic reactions and how they affect your health. Therefore all four diagnostic methods must be used to make an accurate diagnosis of your health and to determine how your allergies can be treated with acupuncture and Chinese herbs in your individual case.

Observing involves looking at all the outward manifestations of your internal health. This is done by observing your general vitality, complexion, figure and skin. One of the most well known parts of observing is tongue diagnosis. The tongue is like a mirror showing the state of your internal organs. The AcuMedic doctor will be able to judge the condition of your essential energy (Qi), identify the locations inside your body affected by the stress and identify how any internal health imbalances might progress just from looking at your tongue. This is crucial in understanding how allergies develop and affect you on a more physiological level.

There are over 50 different pulse types and the AcuMedic doctor will take your pulse on both wrists to determine which pulse type you have. Your pulse is identified in terms of depth, speed, strength, shape and rhythm. Your pulse is an indicator of how Qi and blood are moving around your body, therefore how well your internal organs and your immune system are functioning. From your pulse the doctor can determine a great deal about your physical and emotional condition and how this can be improved to treat your allergies.

The AcuMedic doctor will ask you a huge variety of questions to learn about your general lifestyle in order to understand the sources of the allergy in your daily life and how they affect you. It may seem like some of these questions are odd, but it all goes towards building a complete picture of you and your health. No matter how trivial something might seem to you, tell your doctor. No symptom that you have is unrelated or unimportant when it comes to improving your health.

It is also very useful for your doctor to see the results of any medical tests you have had so make sure you bring them along to your first consultation and whenever you get new results through.

Once the doctor has finished diagnosing you, they will tell you about your particular Chinese Medical syndrome. These syndromes often have funny sounding names, like Liver Qi Stagnation or Kidney Yin Deficiency, but do not let that put you off. They will accurately explain the root cause and effect of your allergy. This diagnosis will be used to determine which aspects of your body the acupuncture treatment should be focused on and which Chinese herbs you need to treat the allergy.

+ Treatment

After consultation you will be asked to lie on the bed and remove some clothing to receive acupuncture. The doctor will provide you with a blanket to cover yourself. Micro-fine needles will be inserted and you will be left alone to relax for about 20-40 minutes.

Please be aware that this is crucial treatment time for the acupuncture to have a therapeutic effect and you have not been forgotten. Just relax and enjoy the sensation of the acupuncture treatment (many patients will fall asleep). If you need to call the Clinic reception then there is a bell to alert us to come and talk with you.

Usually, the acupuncture needles do not hurt when they are inserted, although if a lot of blocked energy has built up at one area of your body, you may feel a pricking and pulling sensation as the Qi begins to flow again in there. Most people find acupuncture incredibly relaxing.

AcuMedic doctors only use sterile disposable acupuncture needles. AcuMedic actually invented the disposable acupuncture needle.

For people who are afraid of acupuncture needles, please speak to your doctor who may recommend a different treatment based on electro-acupuncture instead of needles. Electro-acupuncture works in the same way as conventional acupuncture, but instead of using needles, an electronic pointer is used to stimulate the acupuncture points on the body.

After the acupuncture treatment the doctor will remove the acupuncture needles and might also apply the auricular balls or seeds to certain parts on your outer ears as part of the treatment to be stimulated whenever you have a craving.

+ After the Treatment

When the acupuncture treatment is completed you will be taken to the AcuMedic Herbal Dispensary to collect your Chinese herbal medicine prescription for your allergy and rebook the follow-up appointment.

The length and effectiveness of the hay-fever and allergies treatment really depends on the lifestyle and condition of the individual at the first visit, as all patients will have different situations which require individual attention in their treatment.

After the treatment you should feel a relief in your allergy symptoms as well as an improvement in overall health. You will also probably notice long term improvement in other complaints that you may have thought to be unrelated to your allergies such as bad skin, impatience, feeling of heaviness and irritability.

Generally six treatments may be needed to give lasting relief of hay-fever or other allergy symptoms. Some patients return for a series of six treatments each year just before what used to be their hay fever season. Others remain free from hay fever for years after one course of acupuncture treatments.

To learn more about our approach to treating allergies please take a look at our guide Relieve Your Allergies.

To find out more about being a patient at AcuMedic please take a look at the AcuMedic Patient Handbook