Acupuncture mechanisms: Allergic rhinitis and hayfever
For those of you who love a bit of science, here is a summary of the mechanisms that researchers suspect may account for the positive effect of acupuncture for allergic rhinitis and hayfever treatment.
- The main impact of acupuncture is probably due to its anti-inflammatory effects.
- The anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture involve multiple different mediators, receptors and signalling pathways.
- In allergic rhinitis, acupuncture has been shown to down-regulate total and specific IgE, as well as SP and VIP (2, 3).
- Acupuncture has been shown to down-regulate transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) in inflammatory pain and there is indirect evidence to suggest that acupuncture may down-regulate TRPV1 expression and sensitivity in allergic rhinitis (4).
Would you like to watch a fun video explaining these ideas, and more? Keryn Hawker and a team of colleagues produced this entertaining video showing the many mechanisms that have been explored in acupuncture research for allergic rhinitis and asthma.
We hope you enjoy watching!
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Acupuncture is an effective, low-risk and cost-effective treatment option for allergic rhinitis (1, 9).
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References
1. Taw MB, Reddy WD, Omole FS, Seidman MD. Acupuncture and allergic rhinitis. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015;23(3):216-220. doi:10.1097/MOO.0000000000000161
2. McDonald JL, Smith PK, Smith CA, Changli Xue C, Golianu B, Cripps AW. Effect of acupuncture on house dust mite specific IgE, substance P, and symptoms in persistent allergic rhinitis. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2016 Jun;116(6):497-505.
3. Li YM, Zhuang LX, Lai XS, Jiang GH. [Effects of electroacupuncture on plasma vasoactive intestinal peptide and substance P in perennial allergic rhinitis patients]. Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2007 Apr;32(2):136-8.
4. McDonald JL, Cripps AW, Smith PK. Mediators, Receptors, and Signalling Pathways in the Anti-Inflammatory and Antihyperalgesic Effects of Acupuncture. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:975632.
5. Feng S, Han M, Fan Y, et al. Acupuncture for the Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy. 2015;29(1):57-62. doi:10.2500/ajra.2015.29.4116
6. Kim SY, Lee H, Chae Y, Park HJ, Lee H. A systematic review of cost-effectiveness analyses alongside randomised controlled trials of acupuncture. Acupunct Med. 2012 Dec;30(4):273-85.
