At the same time, reducing foods rich in arachidonic acid might be wise. One study found an association between arachidonic acid and hay fever. Although arachidonic acid is essential for health, too much has been found to worsen inflammation. This means reducing intake of egg yolks, red meat, and shellfish.
Acupuncture is a healing practice that originated in China over 5,000 years ago. Although it has been studied for hay fever, there are too few studies to draw any conclusions about whether it might help.
In a German study published in the journal Allergy, 52 people with hay fever received acupuncture (once a week) and a Chinese herbal tea designed to address allergic symptoms (three times a day) or sham acupuncture and a regular herbal tea. After 6 weeks, people who received the acupuncture and herbal treatment noticed an 85 percent improvement on a "global assessment of change" scale compared to 40 percent in the control group. They also noticed a significant improvement in the quality of life questionnaire. There was no difference however in symptoms.
In another study, 72 children with hay fever received either acupuncture (twice a week) or sham acupuncture. After eight weeks, the real acupuncture was more effective at improving symptoms and was associated with more symptom-free days compared to sham acupuncture.
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