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ACUPUNCTURE FOR ALLERGIC RHINITIS
A systematic review of seven high quality trials evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating or preventing allergic rhinitis (AR) concludes that the evidence is mixed. Results for seasonal AR failed to show specific effects of acupuncture, while for perennial AR evidence suggests acupuncture is effective. (Acupuncture for allergic rhinitis: a systematic review. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2009 Apr;102(4):269-79).

ACUPUNCTURE EFFECTIVE FOR ALLERGIC RHINITIS
A large German randomised controlled trial involving 5,237 participants has compared the effectiveness of acupuncture in addition to routine care in allergic rhinitis patients with routine care alone. Patients were randomly allocated to receive up to 15 acupuncture sessions over three months or to a control group receiving no acupuncture. Patients who did not consent to randomisation received acupuncture. All were allowed to receive usual medical care. The Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) and general health-related quality of life were evaluated at baseline and after three and six months. At three months, the RQLQ improved by a mean of 1.48 in the acupuncture group and by 0.50 in the control group. Quality-of-life improvements were also more pronounced in the acupuncture vs the control group. Six-month improvements in both acupuncture groups were lower than at three months. The authors conclude that treating allergic rhinitis patients with acupuncture in addition to routine care leads to clinically relevant and persistent benefits. (Acupuncture in patients with allergic rhinitis: a pragmatic randomized trial. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2008 Nov;101(5):535-43).
  
ACUPUNCTURE EFFECTIVE FOR ALLERGIC RHINITIS
An Australian study has found that acupuncture can significantly reduce the symptoms of persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR). The randomised, single-blind, sham-controlled trial included 80 patients with PAR (aged 16-70 years) who were randomly assigned to real or sham acupuncture. Three key acupuncture points, Yingxiang L.I.-20, Yintang M-HN-3 and Fengchi GB-20, plus one supplementary point (determined individually on the basis of TCM pattern differentiation) were used for each participant. After a one-week baseline period, participants were treated twice weekly for eight weeks and followed up for another 12 weeks. Nasal obstruction, sneezing, rhinorrhoea and nasal itch were each self-assessed daily on a 5-point scale, and individual symptom scores were added to give a sum of the symptom scores (total nasal symptom score, TNSS). A secondary outcome was use of PAR relief medication. At the end of eight weeks' treatment, the weekly mean difference in TNSS from baseline was significantly greater with real (-17.2) than with sham acupuncture (-4.2) and these benefits persisted three months after the end of treatment. Comparisons of relief medication scores revealed a significant decline in the use of medication in the real acupuncture group between baseline and Week 8 of treatment, the reduction being still apparent at the end of follow-up. (Acupuncture for persistent allergic rhinitis: a randomised, sham-controlled trial. Med J Aust. 2007 Sep 17;187(6):337-41).

ACUPUNCTURE & ALLERGIC RHINITIS IN KIDS
A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial of acupuncture for the treatment of childhood persistent allergic rhinitis was carried out at a Hong Kong hospital. Patients attending the paediatric outpatient department were randomly assigned to receive either true or sham acupuncture, administered twice a week for eight weeks. There were significantly lower daily rhinitis scores and more symptom-free days for the group receiving true acupuncture, during both the treatment and follow-up periods. The visual analog scale scores for immediate improvement after acupuncture were also significantly better for the active acupuncture group. There was no significant difference in daily relief medication scores, blood eosinophil counts, serum IgE levels and nasal eosinophil counts. The authors conclude that “active acupuncture was more effective than sham acupuncture in decreasing the symptom scores for persistent allergic rhinitis and increasing the symptom-free days. No serious adverse effect was identified. A large-scale study is required to confirm the safety of acupuncture for children”. (Pediatrics. 2004 Nov;114(5):1242-7).

ACUPUNCTURE VERSUS ACUPUNCTURE + HERBS FOR HAY FEVER
Although many Asian practitioners are happy to specialise as acupuncturists, and therefore do not prescribe herbs, there has been a tendency in the west to feel that acupuncture alone is somehow inadequate. In the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis at least, this does not seem to be the case. In a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial, 65 patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis received acupuncture twice a week for 8 weeks plus either a Chinese herbal drug formula (intervention group, 33 patients) or placebo (control group, 32 patients) at a dosage of four capsules, three times daily. Acupuncture was given at Yingxiang L.I.-20, Yintang (M-HN-3), Fengchi GB-20, plus (according to pattern) Taiyuan LU-9, Feishu BL-13, Pishu BL-20, Zusanli ST-36, Shenshu BL-23, Qihai REN-6, all with needle manipulation). Herbal treatment consisted of an 18-herb formula, that had demonstrated its effectiveness in a previous trial (Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2003; 9(5): 80-87). After 8 weeks, no significant difference was found between the two groups in the severity of nasal and non-nasal symptoms and in rhinitis quality of life questionnaire scores. Moderate-to-marked improvement rates of 72.7% and 81.2% were found in the intervention and control groups respectively. (Hong Kong Med J. 2003 Dec;9(6):427-34).

ACUPUNCTURE AND HAY FEVER
In a randomised, controlled, single-blind trial in the UK, patients in the 'active' group received needling at Zanzhu BL-2, Yingxiang L.I.-20 and Hegu L.I.-4 (deqi was obtained and needles retained for five minutes), whilst patients in the control group received sham acupuncture (three needles inserted subcutaneously, with no further stimulation, in an area over the middle of the patella). Remission of symptoms was reported by 39% in the active group and by 45.2% in the sham group. The authors acknowledge that the active treatment was standardised rather than individualised and speculate whether the results show an acupuncture effect, a placebo effect, or natural variation in a fluctuating condition. In both groups, the majority of the patients felt that treatment had benefited their symptoms and would positively consider further treatment (Acupuncture in Medicine, May 1996, Vol XIV, No1, pp6-10).