Acupuncture to Treat Allergies

Allergies are a condition when the body becomes hypersensitive to an external object. The symptoms of allergies vary from person to person. Symptoms may include watery ot red eyes, skin irritation and rashes, breathing problems and weakness. Once diagnosed, the best treatment for any kind of allergy is to avoid exposing the body to the object that provokes allergy. There are many ways by which allergies can be treated. They are medication, acupuncture, homeopathy, yoga and various other therapies.

Acupuncture, as an option for treating allergies is becoming more widespread. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese method of healing by inserting thin, fine needles into specific points in body to control and relieve pain and cure or prevent certain diseases.

Acupuncture is based on the principle of balancing "Qi" which is the vital energy that flows throughout the body. According to Chinese, any imbalance and disruption of the flow of Qi in the body affects the health of the individual. The points or the energy flows are stimulated and balanced throughout the body by inserting needles and hence health is restored. Acupuncture to treat allergies can be used alone or as a combination treatment with any other therapy or medication. Acupuncture is generally preferred over strong medication because it has no side effects. The acupuncturist develops a plan to relieve a patient from the allergy symptoms while focusing on the underlying cause of the problem and curing any imbalance in the immune system. Allergy creates different reactions in different individuals; hence the acupuncturist decides the placement accordingly. He determines the direction and the depth to which the needles are to be inserted in the patient's body. Each session can range between 20 minutes to about an hour. The time taken to respond to acupuncture may vary in each individual.