Insights & Discussion
Allergic rhinitis in children, according to traditional Chinese medicine, is interrelated with the functionality of lungs, spleen, and kidney and can be treated with combined Western and Chinese herbal medicines.
The methodology of this study was based on a review of both traditional Chinese and Western medical theories and practices. Chinese theory postulates that BiQiu, or allergic rhinitis in children, is primarily related to a congenital deficiency in vital qi, dysfunction of the lungs inhibiting nose orifices, and a deficiency of spleen and kidney leading to lung qi deficiency. The review looked into herbal monomers and compounds of Chinese herbal medicines as potential treatments for allergic rhinitis, while also considering the impact of external factors like the cold and inadequate diet.
The review highlighted some of the effects and shortcomings of Chinese herbal medicines used alongside Western medicines for treating allergic rhinitis. Particularly, it focussed on how the unique perceptions of life science of the human body from both Eastern and Western cultures can be brought together for a comprehensive method of treatment. The study also outlined future trends of research to enhance this combined treatment approach.
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Acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment for Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis, significantly improving symptoms without needing relief medication or causing side effects.
2022 The American Journal of Chinese Medicine Effect of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial Xue CC, English R, Zhang JJ, Da Costa C, Li CG
Randomised Controlled Trial Acupuncture
The study was a two-phase, single-blind, crossover clinical trial where randomly assigned subjects, split into two groups, were treated with either real or sham acupuncture. All participants received treatment thrice a week for four weeks straight before being flipped onto the other form of treatment for another four uninterrupted weeks without a washout period. The real acupuncture treatment plan was guided by Chinese Medicine Theory. The subjects' responses were measured at various stages - before, during, and after the trials.
In the study, significant improvement was marked in the subjective symptom scores, both nasal and non-nasal, between the group that received the genuine acupuncture and the sham treatment. It was noteworthy, however, that no marked differences were found in the relief medication scores between the two groups. There were also no recorded side effects from either the real or sham acupuncture groups. This suggests that acupuncture proves to be a safe and effective alternative for managing Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis.
Gui Zhi Decoction and associated formulas significantly improve the effectiveness of allergic rhinitis treatments when used alone or combined with Western medicine.
2021 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Efficacy and Safety of Guizhi Decoction AssociatedFormulas for Allergic Rhinitis: A Systematic Review Yang S, Fu Q, Deng H, Wu J, Zhang Q, Wang L, et al.
Systematic Review Gui Zhi Gui Zhi Tang
The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Guizhi Decoction and associated formulas for treating allergic rhinitis. It included a comprehensive search of seven online databases for studies published until February 23, 2020. Each selected study's quality was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool. The research used systematic reviews based on the Cochrane systematic review method, facilitated by RevMan 5.3 Software. Interventions in the study varied from using Guizhi Decoction and associated formulas alone to combining them with Western medicine, acupoint-based therapy, Chinese patent medicine, and placebo control.
Data from 23 trials involving 2281 participants were collected and systematically analysed. The results showed that Guizhi Decoction and associated formulas, either alone or in conjunction with Western medicine or acupoint-based therapies, exhibited higher efficacy compared to Western medicine alone. The study also reported that adding nasal traditional Chinese medicine fumigation therapy to the Guizhi Decoction formulations could further improve treatment effectiveness. Adverse events were primarily mild and primarily associated with the control groups that used Western medicine alone, requiring no specific medical intervention.
The use of Yu Ping Feng San for pediatric allergic rhinitis appears relatively safe compared to Western medical therapy yet its routine use remains unsupported.
2021 Medicine Yu ping feng san for pediatric allergic rhinitis Liao Y, Zhong J, Liu S, Dai M, Liu Y, Li X, et al.
Systematic Review Children's Health
The study undertakes a systematic search across multiple databases, including PubMed, the Excerpta Medical Database, Cochrane library and more, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) concerning the use of YPFS for pediatric allergic rhinitis. Extracted results were subjected to stringent bias-risk analysis based on the Cochrane Handbook. A meta-analysis was then implemented using RevMan 5.3 software, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology was applied to check the quality of evidence for every outcome.
The study pooled 10 RCTs covering 1,069 participants aged between 3-15 years for initial inclusion. After certain exclusions, it was determined from the remaining eight RCTs that the overall efficacy did not show any notable advantage for the test group. In addition, inspections into variation of serum immunoglobulin levels showed no statistical significance. However, the safety of YPFS displayed better results, demonstrating a relatively safer approach with lower recurrence rates compared to Western medical therapy.
Traditional Chinese Medicine, specifically acupuncture, demonstrates promising effects in managing allergic diseases like allergic rhinitis and asthma.
2020 Current Allergy and Asthma Reports Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Allergic Diseases Chan HHL, Ng T
Review Article Eczema
The methodology for this paper involved an extensive review of recent publications, predominantly those presenting randomized controlled trials, that assess the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in treating allergies. The focus was on the two most popular treatment modalities in TCM, Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. Publications detailing the mechanisms by which TCM impacts allergic diseases, as well as literature in Chinese, were also examined.
The analysis of the results showed an increasing trend of using TCM, specifically Chinese herbal medicine, to manage allergic diseases. However, literature evidence was found lacking to conclusively establish its effectiveness. On the other hand, acupuncture showed more definitive evidence of its utility, especially when treating allergic rhinitis and asthma, either as a standalone intervention or alongside conventional western medication. Its effectiveness in treating atopic eczema and urticaria was less clear, nonetheless, it's recommended to be incorporated into the treatment of specific allergic diseases on a personalized basis.
Acupuncture appeared to significantly reduce the number of days of antihistamine use while improving rhinitis-specific quality of life and seasonal allergic rhinitis symptoms
2018 Acupuncture in Medicine Impact of acupuncture on antihistamine use in patients suffering seasonal allergic rhinitis: secondary analysis of results from a randomised controlled trial Adam D, Grabenhenrich L, Ortiz M, Binting S, Reinhold T, Brinkhaus B
Randomised Controlled Trial
The data from 414 patients were analysed. The acupuncture group used antihistamines significantly less often compared with the other groups (acupuncture vs sham acupuncture: mean difference −4.49 days, p=0.01; acupuncture vs RM: mean difference −9.15 days, p<0.001). Approximately 38% of the acupuncture group did not use any antihistamine in contrast to only 16% in the RM group. The pre-post comparison suggested that the acupuncture patients did not need to increase the days of antihistamine use to alleviate their symptoms, unlike the other groups.
Acupuncture appeared to significantly reduce the number of days of antihistamine use while improving RQoL and SAR symptoms; it can therefore be considered a valuable, additional treatment option for patients with SAR.
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