Acupuncture and Allergies. Do you suffer from hay fever? Do you dread the spring season and every new flower blooming because you know the sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes are about to start? Then, as you probably know, you have allergies. Allergic reactions can take many forms, but one of the most common is the dreaded reaction we call hay fever.
To learn more about Acupuncture Zen’s Boca Raton Acupuncture, call 561-274-4447 or contact us online. Dr. Tony Willcox is waiting to help you heal from your allergies.
Hay fever and other forms of allergic reactions are not a sickness caused by a virus or bacteria. Instead, allergies are created by a response of your immune system to harmless external substances, such as tree pollen. Your immune system was designed to fight against harmful invaders in order to keep you healthy. An overly sensitive immune system, however, reacts to any substance as if it were a dangerous virus or germ. This reaction includes the production of many chemicals, including histamine, which is the main chemical that causes the sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes of hay fever.
Conventional western medicine treats the symptoms of allergies. Doctors prescribe medications such as decongestants, antihistamines, or steroids, all of which have side effects. Severe allergy sufferers can have allergy shots, a long series of weekly shots designed to desensitize the immune system to the particular substances to which that person reacts. But allergy shots are expensive and time-consuming. Your allergies could return or you could develop new ones. Sometimes people who are being treated with allergy shots can have reactions to the shots themselves. While all of these treatments can usually reduce the symptoms of allergies, they don’t address the root cause of allergies, your overly sensitive immune system.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), however, does not focus on the symptoms of allergic reactions. Instead, the principle of TCM is to look at the person as a whole. While initially, the goal is to manage allergy symptoms effectively, the long-term goal of Boca Raton acupuncture is to balance the immune response, which would then reduce the frequency and severity of future allergic responses. Acupuncture does this by working to balance a person’s qi or natural energy flows. Imbalances or blockages in the flow of qi create illness and dysfunction in the body, such as the overly sensitive immune system that leads to allergic reactions. Balancing the qi allows your immune system to function properly.
So, how effective is TCM and acupuncture in the treatment of allergies? In a study from Allergy Magazine, September 2004, allergy sufferers received weekly acupuncture treatments, as well as a Chinese herbal blend. After 6 weeks of treatment, those in the study who received acupuncture had reduced allergy symptoms. Two studies published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine showed that acupuncture reduced allergy symptoms in all participants. Allergy symptoms were totally eliminated in over half of the study participants receiving acupuncture.
Are you ready to try something new for your allergy symptoms? Then contact Dr. Tony Willcox of Acupuncture Zen in Delray Beach, Florida, and try his Boca Raton Acupuncture. He will work with you individually to address your allergy symptoms and to balance your immune system to help prevent your allergies in the future.
Call now to make an appointment at 561-274-4447 or contact us online.