Hay fever treatment: acupuncture
Hay fever is very common in Cheltenham (where I work) and each year I see a lot of people suffering from this complaint. People usually come because they know of someone who benefited from acupuncture treatment, or as a last resort after having tried everything else. I am pleased to say that acupuncture is often very effective treatment for hay fever, and I am sure that other practitioners of traditional Chinese acupuncture would agree. The effect of acupuncture can be immediate, and this is very encouraging as it shows just how powerful acupuncture can be. Although the effect of acupuncture treatment can be instantaneous, it is common for the effect to ‘wear off’ and the symptoms to return. When this happens another treatment is needed. Consecutive acupuncture treatment prolongs the desirable effects or in other words, acupuncture has an accumulative effect.How many treatments will I need?
Since everyone is so different, and lifestyles so varied, it is impossible to define how many treatments will bring a lasting effect. However, you will see changes during a course of treatment, it is not a matter of investing in 10-20 treatments with the hope of seeing some improvement at the end. During a course of treatment there will be changes. If after six treatments there are no perceivable changes then it probably isn’t worth continuing. I mention this as a general guide only, of course there will be exceptions.For someone who is considering acupuncture treatment for hay fever, do expect to make a commitment of one acupuncture treatment per week (40 min appointment). If possible, I like to see new patients twice weekly at the beginning of treatment (during the height of hay fever season). My opinion is that it is best to give six treatments during a three week period, than six treatments over a six week period. The treatment period is more intensive and I believe this gives good results. It is common to start treatment 2 x weekly, then 1 x weekly, then fortnightly, then stop.
Some patients find that 1 x weekly treatment is enough to have a profound effect. If the symptoms are particularly severe (and I have seen some pretty bad hay fever), then twice weekly treatment would be needed, or a combination of Chinese herbs and acupuncture. There is a lot of flexibility regarding frequency of treatment, and this is governed by how responsive the person is to treatment.
