Often referred to as "hay fever," allergic rhinitis can be caused by a variety of relatively harmless substances, ranging from pollen and dust to animal dander. The most common form of allergic rhinitis is seasonal allergic rhinitis, which typically occurs at the same time each year when certain plants are in bloom.
Other people can be afflicted with perennial allergic rhinitis (which may occur at any given time of the year) or occupational allergic rhinitis (which is caused by an allergic reaction to substances in the workplace, such as chemicals or grains). All told, between 10 percent and 20 percent of the general population is believed to have some form of allergic rhinitis, with direct and indirect health care costs totaling between $4.5 and $7.7 billion per year in the U.S. alone.1
In China, acupuncture and herbal remedies have been used to combat symptoms similar to allergic rhinitis successfully for centuries. Previous research has shown, for instance, that Chinese herbal medicine can treat atopic dermatitis, while acupuncture has been proven effective in relieving the symptoms a number of allergic conditions. However, few studies have examined the combined use of acupuncture and Chinese herbal remedies in the treatment of allergic rhinitis.
A study in the September 2004 issue of Allergy has concluded that a combination of Chinese herbs and weekly acupuncture sessions may be more effective than a placebo at relieving the symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis. The authors of the study also suggest that future research be conducted to investigate the effectiveness of an acupuncture-herb combination in the treatment of other conditions.2
In the study, a total of 52 patients between the ages of 20 and 58, all diagnosed with seasonal allergic rhinitis, were randomly assigned to a traditional Chinese medicine group or a control group. In the TCM group, patients received a standardized 20-minute acupuncture treatment once a week for six weeks, with points on the Large Intestine, Gallbladder, Lung and Liver meridians stimulated. Additional points were selected based on each patient¡¯s individual symptoms. All of the patients were treated while in a supine position. After the needles were inserted, they were manipulated to obtain de qi. The needles were manipulated again 10 minutes after the start of treatment.
Along with acupuncture, TCM patients received a basic herbal formula (consisting of schizonepeta, chrysanthemum, cassia seed, plantago seed and tribulus), which they were instructed to take as a decoction three times per day, parallel to acupuncture treatment. In addition to the basic formula, every patient received a second formula tailored to the patient¡¯s individual TCM diagnosis.
In the control group, patients were given acupuncture at standardized non-acupuncture points distant from meridians, and were treated superficially with needles smaller than those used on the TCM patients. The needles were not manipulated, and the same points were needled at each acupuncture session. Control patients also received a non-specific herbal formula comprised of coix seed, licorice, poria, hops, oryza, barley, hawthorn fruit, and medicated leaven.
To measure the effect of each therapy, patients used a visual analogue scale to rate the severity of hay fever suffered during the previous week on a 10-point scale, and an assessment-of-change scale to measure any changes in symptoms. Patients also filled out an allergic rhinitis questionnaire to rate the severity of symptoms, and a pair of quality-of-life surveys. In addition, patients were asked to document the number of anti-allergy drugs taken for one week.
