Hay fever is very common in Cheltenham (where I work) and each year I see a lot of people suffering from this complaint. People usually come because they know of someone who benefited from acupuncture treatment, or as a last resort after having tried everything else. I am pleased to say that acupuncture is often very effective treatment for hay fever, and I am sure that other practitioners of traditional Chinese acupuncture would agree. The effect of acupuncture can be immediate, and this is very encouraging as it shows just how powerful acupuncture can be. Although the effect of acupuncture treatment can be instantaneous, it is common for the effect to ‘wear off’ and the symptoms to return. When this happens another treatment is needed. Consecutive acupuncture treatment prolongs the desirable effects or in other words, acupuncture has an accumulative effect.

How many treatments will I need?

Since everyone is so different, and lifestyles so varied, it is impossible to define how many treatments will bring a lasting effect. However, you will see changes during a course of treatment, it is not a matter of investing in 10-20 treatments with the hope of seeing some improvement at the end. During a course of treatment there will be changes. If after six treatments there are no perceivable changes then it probably isn’t worth continuing. I mention this as a general guide only, of course there will be exceptions.

For someone who is considering acupuncture treatment for hay fever, do expect to make a commitment of one acupuncture treatment per week (40 min appointment). If possible, I like to see new patients twice weekly at the beginning of treatment (during the height of hay fever season). My opinion is that it is best to give six treatments during a three week period, than six treatments over a six week period. The treatment period is more intensive and I believe this gives good results. It is common to start treatment 2 x weekly, then 1 x weekly, then fortnightly, then stop.

Some patients find that 1 x weekly treatment is enough to have a profound effect. If the symptoms are particularly severe (and I have seen some pretty bad hay fever), then twice weekly treatment would be needed, or a combination of Chinese herbs and acupuncture. There is a lot of flexibility regarding frequency of treatment, and this is governed by how responsive the person is to treatment.

Does the effect of acupuncture treatment last?

I definitely find that people who had acupuncture treatment for their hay fever the previous season need less treatment the following year. As balance is restored, the symptoms do disappear.

When should I start treatment?

According to the acupuncture textbooks, it is desirable to start treatment 4-6 weeks before the hay fever season starts. In practice the vast majority of people come to see me when they have all the symptoms of hay fever and are desperately looking for some relief!

In theory, starting acupuncture treatment before the hay fever season starts will give an opportunity to aim treatment at strengthening the body’s energy and starting to address the internal imbalance that is making the sufferer sensitive to pollen allergens.

In practice, I don’t know if coming for treatment 4-6 weeks before the hay fever season starts does make that much different. Since most people come to see me during the hay fever season, I don’t have the data to make a comparison. It would be an interesting research project to compare two groups; one group starting treatment 4-6 weeks before hay fever begins, and the other group starting at the onset if their symptoms, to see if there is a definite benefit. As a cheaper and more viable alternative, I would like to encourage people to take patent Chinese herbs throughout the year as a ‘tonic’ to strengthen their energies.

For patients who suffer from hay fever particularly badly, it may be desirable to start treatment early to give acupuncture the best opportunity to work.

Can I mix western medication with acupuncture treatment?

Western drugs and Chinese acupuncture work in very different ways. Chinese acupuncture is aiming to restore the status quo by changing the way the immune system reacts to hay fever allergens (i.e. pollen). Western drugs are mainly concern with drying up secretions (i.e. just treating the symptoms), and this does have its inherent problems. In the ideal world it is best to avoid western drugs as they do not work in tandem with acupuncture treatment to restore good health. However, at the beginning of treatment it may be necessary to continue with western drugs until the acupuncture treatment has its desired effect. In this case it is a primary goal of acupuncture treatment to help reduce reliance on pharmaceutical drugs and hopefully arrive at a point that the symptoms are managed with acupuncture treatment, and the hay fever symptoms have subsided.

Dr. Steven Gascoigne has an interesting perspective on the holistic management of hay fever and the problem with pharmaceutical drugs. Dr. Gascoigne is a general practitioner (G.P.) of conventional medicine and also a practitioner of Chinese medicine, so he sits on both sides of the fence! He is particularly interested in the energetic effect of pharmaceutical drugs in terms of Chinese medicine. He made the following comments taken from his book; ‘The Prescribed Drug Guide…. A holistic Perspective’.

This is what he wrote about the holistic management of hay fever :-

“The effect of antihistamines and decongestants is to dry secretions. They have a stronger systemic effect when taken orally. The suppression of a discharge by any method can be a powerful cause of ill health. Any drug used to suppress discharge may, on its reduction, result in the reappearance of the discharge, often to a worse degree than originally. In addition, such suppression may well lead to the development of more severe disease. In this case, the common result is the occurrence of respiratory disease such as asthma or bronchitis. Withdrawal should be slow and any symptoms that reappear should be treated with holistic medicine.”

Other allergies

Hay fever occurs at a particular time of the year and is triggered by specific allergens (grass pollen, tree pollen). The rest of the year the sufferer is usually completely symptom-free. Other people have allergies all year round and there is a wider range of allergens (dust mites, cats, fungi, etc.) that may include pollens. For this latter group it is fair to say that their allergic response (or internal imbalance) is more deeply entrenched and thus they will require more treatment.

Some patients with multiple allergies I have struggled to treat with acupuncture alone, and it may be the case that a combination of long-term Chinese herb treatment and acupuncture is needed, or a combination of acupuncture and some other therapy.

Case History One - Female aged (25June 2002)

This patient used to suffer from hay fever May-October each year and it was gradually getting worse. It started 10-15 years ago. Her symptoms were; sneezing, blocked sinuses, red, itchy & swollen eyes, nose either blocked or runny, clear mucus, nose bleeds, pain above left eye leading to a headache. She took tablets for her headaches every day. Her symptoms started when she moved to Gloucester.

On her first visit she was suffering from all the typical symptoms of hay fever, and had pain above her left eye. I treated her on a Saturday and she was symptom-free until Wednesday. All her eye pain had disappeared.

She came for two more visits and her hay fever symptoms completely disappeared.
This patient had acupuncture before from a different acupuncturist and always got good results.

Case History Two - Female, aged 30 + June 2002

This patient was a greater challenge since she was pregnant! There are certain points that are forbidden to needle during pregnancy, and some of these are usually used to treat hay fever. I was cautious about what results we would get but we both agreed that it was worth trying (and a lot of the drugs normally used to treat hay fever are not recommended during pregnancy)

Treatment was twice weekly to begin with since we were in the middle of the hay fever season. After a couple of weeks (4 sessions) her symptoms were improving. She then had a couple of weekly treatments, and her symptoms disappeared completely. The ultimate test was an outdoor festival where she was going to camp for four days. Fortunately she was symptom-free for the whole period!