Much as you may long for the sunshine it can be that you dread the accompanied allergies that the summer months bring to you and many others. You are probably suffering with a runny nose, itchy eyes, headaches, coughing and maybe difficulty breathing. This can lead to problems sleeping so all in all you feel pretty wretched when you should be enjoying the glorious weather. Bouts of hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis) also come slap bang during exam season which causes no end of irritation to students.

Traditional allergy medicines will temporarily alleviate your symptoms and suffering. Acupuncture is a more powerful cure as it deals with the underlying imbalance that creates the symptoms. Acupuncture can eradicate your seasonal allergic rhinitis for the whole season!

Acupuncture is a complementary treatment for hay fever and can be used instead of or alongside antihistamines by increasing the amount of symptom-free days you experience. It works by stimulating your nervous system to release neurochemical messenger molecules. This causes biochemical changes that alter your body’s homeostatic mechanisms which in turn promotes your physical and emotional well-being. When specific acupuncture points are stimulated, areas of your brain are reduced in sensitivity to stress and pain.

If you want to be prepared for the next hay fever season then ideally you would begin acupuncture treatment four to six weeks before it starts. This gives your body plenty of time to strengthen in energy and deal with your internal imbalance that makes you so sensitive to pollen allergens. However if you go later to an acupuncturist when your suffering is in full throttle you will still get some immediate relief.

It is hard to estimate how many acupuncture treatments you will require as everybody’s lifestyles and make-ups are different. You will notice an improvement after one course of treatment, maybe even after your first session. It may be that you need to have treatment once a week and once the improvements are longer lasting the sessions can be spread out further apart until you only need top-up treatments.

Do not think that your hay fever is an inevitable part of spring and summer. Without causing negative side-effects, acupuncture can prevent and relieve your allergies so that you can enjoy the glorious sunshine and blue skies as you should be able to!

Another interesting tip to consider is the regular consumption of local honey four months leading up to the peak of your hay fever season. Find out where you can purchase local honey because it can assist your immune system in not severely reacting to high pollen counts.

 
Eirian Hallinan authors many insightful articles on natural health. She is a firm believer in the many uses of natural remedies for colic.