Acupuncture has a long-lasting antiallergic effect on rhinitis

Acupuncture is as effective as antihistamine drug loratadine in treating persistent allergic rhinitis. Moreover, the therapeutic effect of acupuncture lasts longer than loratadine according to a study published in Journal of Allergy recently.

Allergic rhinitis is an inflammation of the inside of the nose normally caused by the allergens such as house dust, pollen etc. Common symptoms include sneezing, a blocked or congested nose, a runny and itchy nose.  Persistent allergic rhinitis is believed to last 4-day or more than 4-day a week. Medication such antihistamine and corticosteroids help temporarily reduce symptoms but are not satisfactory in many cases. Alternative therapies such as acupuncture are used to treat rhinitis.

Researchers in Germany conducted a clinical study to compare the effectiveness of acupuncture with antihistamine drug loratadine in patients with persistent allergic rhinitis and to investigate the mechanism of action by acupuncture. Fifteen patients with persistent allergic rhinitis were treated with acupuncture for 20 min a day, while 9 patients were given loratadine 10mg daily for 21 days. Evaluations include objective examination of nasal conditions and subjective interviews and blood serum levels of inflammation related cytokines e.g. interleukins. Assessments were carried out prior to (baseline), at the end of treatment and at 10-week follow-up.

It was found that effectiveness of acupuncture treatment is similar to that of loratadine in controlling symptoms of rhinitis during and at the end of treatment compared to baseline scores. However, 10-week follow-up revealed that 80% of patients received acupuncture maintained significant improvement of rhinitis symptoms whiles none of patients given loratadine showed any improvement compared to baseline scores. Blood test showed that although levels of most interleukins were not changes compared to baseline between two groups, the level of interleukin-10 was gradually elevated in acupuncture group while it was stable within drug treated group. Interleukin-10 is believed to act as an anti-inflammatory cytokine, counteracting the inflammatory effect at the site of allergic action.

The study indicates that acupuncture treatment modulates immune system to exert long-lasting antiallergic effect in patients with persistent allergic rhinitis.

Reference:

Hauswald B et al., The Effectiveness of Acupuncture Compared to Loratadine in Patients Allergic to House Dust Mites. Journal of Allergy, Volume 2014 (2014), Article ID 654632, 7 pages.    http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ja/2014/654632/