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Seasonal
Allergies
Acupuncture and Chinese
herbal medicine in the
treatment of patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis: a randomized-controlled
clinical trial.
Brinkhaus B,
Hummelsberger J, Kohnen R, Seufert J, Hempen CH, Leonhardy H, Nogel R, Joos S,
Hahn E, Schuppan D. Department of Medicine I,
Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen
Germany.
BACKGROUND:
Patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) increasingly use complementary medicine.
The aim of this study was to determine whether traditional Chinese therapy is
efficacious in patients suffering from seasonal AR.
METHODS: Fifty-two
patients between the ages of 20 and 58 who had typical symptoms of seasonal AR
were assigned randomly and in a blinded fashion to (i) an active treatment group
which received a semi-standardized treatment of acupuncture and Chinese herbal
medicine, and (ii) a control group which received acupuncture applied to
non-acupuncture points in addition to a non-specific Chinese herbal formula. All
patients received acupuncture treatment once per week and the respective Chinese
herbal formula as a decoction three times daily for a total of 6 weeks.
Assessments were performed before, during, and 1 week after treatment. The
change in severity of hay fever symptoms was the primary outcome measured on a
visual analogue scale (VAS).
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