Acupuncture treatment in perennial rhinitis.

ABSTRACT

The investigation for clinical effectiveness and immunological response of perennial rhinitis after acupuncture treatment was performed at the Acupuncture Unit, Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital. Twenty-four patients with perennial rhinitis and 49 healthy controls were included in the study. The patients were divided into allergic (11 cases) and non-allergic (13 cases) groups. All patients had never had immuno therapy and had eye and nose symptoms for more than 1 year before the treatment. After courses of acupuncture treatment, the clinical symptoms improved in 63 percent of patients in the allergic group and 46 percent in the non-allergic group. The amount of antihistamine tablets was also decreased significantly. The levels of serum IgE in the allergic group showed no significant change when compared with levels before treatment. The preliminary results suggest that the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture in this disease probably functions via the autonomic nervous system rather than the immune system.