Acupuncture and Allergies
Many people are frequently afflicted by seasonal allergies and suffer from nasal congestion, sniffling, and sneezing. Seasonal allergies occur when the body's immune system becomes sensitized and overreacts to external allergens. The most common triggers of seasonal allergies are pollen from wind-pollinated plants such as weeds, trees, and grasses, which result in allergic reactions. Let us take a quick look at the symptoms of allergies:
Symptoms of Seasonal Allergies
• Sneezing
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Watery and itchy eyes
• Irritated sinuses, throat, or ear canals
• Ear congestion and ringing
• Postnasal drip
• Acid reflux
• Skin rashes
Such symptoms can make you feel weak and anxious because when you cannot get enough oxygen due to nasal congestion, your nervous system will be hypersensitive. At this point in time, you should seek acupuncture treatment to prevent seasonal allergens from triggering the symptoms of hay fever.
How Acupuncture Works
Acupuncture helps to maintain vital energy flow through the meridians of your body. These meridians are channels that serve all organs, muscles, nerves, and surfaces of the body. Energy flows through these meridians into the body and balances your immune and nervous systems. However, allergies block meridians and obstruct the flow of energy, causing inflammation and infection. Acupuncture helps restore the smooth flow of energy by placing thin needles on the meridian spots. These needles can reduce the histamine release from the mast cells by balancing your immune and nervous systems. Acupuncture can also improve your digestion to reduce histamine release because undigested food tends to trigger immune reactions.
This Chinese procedure is performed by a trained acupuncturist who gently places hair-thin needles under the skin on different parts of your body. The duration of the treatment varies from person to person, depending on the conditions being treated. Moreover, it also depends on how your body responds to the treatment. If a person has a stronger digestive system and less stress, he / she will need 6 to 10 treatments to get rid of their allergies. Otherwise, more sessions will be required.
How long do the effects of acupuncture last?
The effect of acupuncture can last up to 12 months. However, its actual efficacy depends on factors like the nature or severity of the patient's symptoms and their duration.
The effects of acupuncture and healing time can vary from person to person. For some people, the time taken to cure seasonal allergies can be more, while for others, it may be less. The longer a person has had the symptoms, the longer the time required to cure the problem. Most of the time, the body takes some time to respond to a new treatment and may require multiple sessions of acupuncture to cure a disease. As symptoms improve, less frequent acupuncture treatment is required. Thus, if you are suffering from seasonal allergies, it is recommended that you seek acupuncture therapy to restore the flow of energy and eliminate substances that cause your allergies.
