A 37-year-old woman came to our clinic complaining of severe allergies. She was allergic to dust mites, pollen, dogs, cats, and a host of other triggers, which left her feeling miserable and exhausted most of the time. However, her daughter wanted to get a dog as a family pet, and our new patient was hoping acupuncture would help make this possible. This allergy acupuncture case study describes how we helped our patient calm her allergies significantly enough to get her daughter a dog.
What Causes Allergies?
Scientific American published an article addressing this question. I’ve summarized the first section as follows. Nearly 8% of adults and 9% of children in the U.S. have some form of allergies (a.k.a. hay fever), leading to over 11 million doctor visits a year. More and more people are getting allergies with no sign of slowing down. Allergy symptoms (sneezing, runny nose, postnasal drip, itchy and watery eyes) occur “when our immune system mistakes a normal substance, like pollen or a nut, for an intruder, and wages war against it through the release of antibodies.” The question of why this happens to some people but not others continues to puzzle health care providers. (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-causes-allergies/)
What Can Acupuncture Do For Allergies?
Acupuncture is a branch of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). TCM looks for the root cause behind health conditions like allergies and believes that the symptom will be resolved if you address the root. For example, Chinese medicine addresses why our immune system is “over-reacting” to pollens and dust. It’s the same approach we use to reduce inflammation triggered by the immune system in people with autoimmune diseases. Many consider allergies to be an autoimmune condition as well.
Acupuncture calms an over-reactive immune system by balancing the organ function of the liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. When these organs are returned to homeostasis, the immune system seems to calm down, reducing symptoms like phlegm build-up and swelling and irritation in the nasal passages. Each person with allergy symptoms presents slightly differently, as they have varying degrees of imbalance at the organ level. Accurate tongue and pulse diagnosis help the practitioner narrow down those areas that need attention, and the correct selection of acupuncture points allows the body to return to balance. When balance is restored, allergy symptoms are naturally reduced.
Allergy Acupuncture Case Study
In this allergy acupuncture case study, our patient had numerous sensitivities (dust mites, pollen, cats, and dogs), so her immune system was working overtime, over-reacting left and right. Her intake exam revealed a significant imbalance in her digestive system and water metabolism. Her Chinese medicine pattern diagnosis was “Allergic Rhinitis due to Spleen Qi deficiency and Phlegm Heat accumulation in the head.”
Her treatment involved using acupuncture points to strengthen her Spleen Qi (stomach function), restore normal water metabolism (to resolve the excess phlegm accumulation in the head), and clear heat. Unfortunately, excess heat turned dampness to phlegm, making her condition more uncomfortable. Some of the acupoints in her treatment included: ST36, SP9, ST43, Sima (Extra Point), LV3, LI4, LI11, CV12, LI20, GV23, and Yintong.
Slow, Steady Improvement
After the first three treatments, our patient in this allergy acupuncture case study felt a 20% improvement in her allergies. She felt a noticeable decrease in her daily symptoms, with less sneezing and itchy eyes and nose. We were treating her once a week. After another three treatments, she felt 50% better and was starting to get excited about the prospect of getting a dog. She still had allergies, but they were milder and did not make her feel as tired.
Following her 9th treatment, she was feeling 80% better. It’s at this point she felt confident that getting a dog would be OK. And two weeks later, when the puppy arrived, she was able to manage the dander. Our patient ended up coming for a total of 12 weekly sessions and followed up with maintenance treatments once a month. This schedule kept her in good shape allergy-wise, even during the spring and fall. Her puppy has grown up into a full-sized, furry dog, and she’s still OK. Her allergies are not entirely gone, but they are manageable. And she’s happy.
Next Steps
If you, or someone you love, are struggling with allergies, try acupuncture. Treatments are safe. All needles are sterile, single-use, and hair-thin. And treatments are relaxing. Many patients fall asleep during their treatment. Our patient in this allergy acupuncture case study routinely fell asleep. She called it her acupuncture nap.
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What our Clients are Saying
My allergies got very bad ever since I moved to Raleigh. I don’t like how the medicines make me feel. So I tried acupuncture. The effect was excellent. My allergies got 90% better. I also like the Chinese pills. I take them with me when I travel. They’re not kidding about relaxing treatments. I fall asleep every time I got a session.
My wife made me try acupuncture because she was sick and tired of me complaining about my allergies every summer. Pine pollen made my nose run like a faucet. The pills from the doctor didn’t work so I figured it was worth a try. What a difference the acupuncture made. If you are allergic to pine pollen you’ve got to try this stuff. My staff at Raleigh Acupuncture even put up with my sense of humor. You can’t beat that.
Acupuncture really helped my seasonal allergies. I’m grateful to Raleigh Acupuncture for helping me. Every year from spring through the fall I had terrible allergies. Now after their treatment I hardly have them at all. Thank you!
