Hay fever

Hay fever or allergic rhinitis is a chronic inflammation of the nose, throat, and sinuses. It is induced by external irritants, usually pollens carried in the air. Spring hay fever is related to tree pollen, summer to grass pollen and autumn to weed pollen. Non seasonal allergies are usually due to household irritants such as animal hair, droppings of the house dust mite, mould, mildew, insect stings and bites. For many people with hay fever shows a real nightmare.

A lot of people seek help for itchy eyes and runny noses, the typical hay fever symptoms – sneezing, watery nasal discharge, itchy eyes and throat.      Most patient their symptoms have progressed from a runny nose to sticky yellow mucus with red, hot itchy, swollen eyes and even allergic asthma.

Traditional Chinese medicine thinks hay fever as the failure of the body’s defensive energy to protect the body from repeated invasions of Wind (a climate factor that can disrupt well-being).

Treatment would work on acupuncture points to eliminating Wind, followed by points to strengthen body’ defensive energy.

The effect of acupuncture can be immediate, and this is very encouraging as it shows just how powerful acupuncture can be. Consecutive acupuncture treatment prolongs the desirable effects or in other words, acupuncture has an accumulative effect. The treatment period is more intensive and I believe this gives good results. It is common to start treatment 3 x weekly, then 2 x weekly, then 1 x weekly, then stop. The most effective treatment is to combine Acupuncture with moxibustion. Six to eight treatments are necessary.