Acupuncture for Nasal Congestion in Allergic Rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a disorder that affects more than 500 million people worldwide. Nasal congestion is one of the most general and bothersome symptoms in rhinitis, which impacts the quality of life (QOL). Current medications are undesirable due to their side-effects and there are AR patients who perceive inadequate responses despite to advancements in conventional medicine. Acupuncture for AR in general can be considered as safe and can be seen as a potential therapeutic intervention for nasal congestion. Evidence supported that acupuncture is clinically used for signs and symptoms of nose disorders, such as nasal congestion, with effectiveness, but whether acupuncture has immediate, post-treatment and long-term effects on nasal congestion in AR is not verified by strictly designed clinical study. The ANCAR trial uses a standard treatment protocol with a fixed set of acupuncture points - to be as scientific as possible from Western medical viewpoint - to open the nose and affect underlying energetic imbalance and immunity at the same time, to maintain its nose opening effect. This novel acupuncture treatment protocol can be seen as a solid and profound approach from which every AR patient may benefit.