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Can acupuncture help relieve seasonal allergies?
Source: Agencies |
February 20, 2013, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WATERY eyes and stuffy noses are seasonal martyrdom for millions of allergy sufferers around the globe, but now a German study finds that some help may come from an unlikely source - acupuncture.
Researchers found that 71 percent of people reported an improvement in allergies after eight weeks of acupuncture. But so did 56 percent of allergy sufferers who were treated with sham acupuncture as a comparison.
"Acupuncture led to statistically significant improvements in disease-specific quality of life ... after eight weeks of treatment compared with sham acupuncture and with (medication) along," said lead researcher Benno Brinkhaus. "But the improvements may not be clinically significant."
Brinkhaus, at Charite-University Medical Center in Berlin, and his colleagues randomly assigned 422 people with seasonal allergies to receive real or sham acupuncture or to take only antihistamines as needed.
After eight weeks and 12 treatment sessions, average allergy symptom scores dropped among people in the acupuncture group from 2.7 to 1.7 points on a 0-to-6 scale, where lower scores indicate fewer symptoms.
Among patients treated with sham acupuncture, symptom scores improved from 2.3 to 1.8 point, and from 2.5 to 2.2 in the medication only group. However, by another eight weeks after the treatment ended, there was no longer any difference in the degree of symptom improvement between groups.
"It works, but there are some caveats (for) people who might think of using it," said doctor Harold Nelson, who was not part of the study.
Researchers aren't sure why acupuncture might help people with seasonal allergies, other than its possible beneficial effect on the immune system.
Researchers found that 71 percent of people reported an improvement in allergies after eight weeks of acupuncture. But so did 56 percent of allergy sufferers who were treated with sham acupuncture as a comparison.
"Acupuncture led to statistically significant improvements in disease-specific quality of life ... after eight weeks of treatment compared with sham acupuncture and with (medication) along," said lead researcher Benno Brinkhaus. "But the improvements may not be clinically significant."
Brinkhaus, at Charite-University Medical Center in Berlin, and his colleagues randomly assigned 422 people with seasonal allergies to receive real or sham acupuncture or to take only antihistamines as needed.
After eight weeks and 12 treatment sessions, average allergy symptom scores dropped among people in the acupuncture group from 2.7 to 1.7 points on a 0-to-6 scale, where lower scores indicate fewer symptoms.
Among patients treated with sham acupuncture, symptom scores improved from 2.3 to 1.8 point, and from 2.5 to 2.2 in the medication only group. However, by another eight weeks after the treatment ended, there was no longer any difference in the degree of symptom improvement between groups.
"It works, but there are some caveats (for) people who might think of using it," said doctor Harold Nelson, who was not part of the study.
Researchers aren't sure why acupuncture might help people with seasonal allergies, other than its possible beneficial effect on the immune system.
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