Needle in a haystack

Dear Reader, The official start of spring is only a week away. And that means the return of warm weather, longer days... and hay fever. But before you plan on spending the next nine months indoors, listen up. As part of a recent randomized trial, researchers assigned 422 subjects--all with allergies to birch and grass pollen--to one of three treatment groups. The first group received 12 acupuncture sessions, along with antihistamines as needed. The second group received fake acupuncture sessions (in which needles were placed at random, insignificant points on the body) along with antihistamines. And the final group received antihistamines only. Results after two months showed that subjects who received real acupuncture treatments enjoyed significantly fewer allergy symptoms. They also popped fewer antihistamines--which, in this particular case, was a very good thing. That's because the rescue drug on offer was cetirizine--better known as the popular allergy medication Zyrtec. The same drug, you might recall, that the FDA added to its watch list just a few short months ago. The reason? It may trigger oculogyric crisis, a neurological condition that forces your eyes to roll back in your head involuntarily. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer a pair of itchy, watery eyes over that any day. Luckily, though, acupuncture is just one of many drug-free strategies to sideline seasonal allergies. (Which I'm sure comes as a great relief to all of my needle-phobic readers.) Taking a daily probiotic can help a lot. So can cutting back on foods that can trigger allergy symptoms this time of year. (That includes apples, pears, kiwi, cherry, peaches, and carrots.) Meanwhile, be sure to remove your shoes at the door and keep ventilation systems in your house and car clean. Because simply keeping pollen outside where it belongs can make a big difference, too.