Acupuncture for Allergies and Sinuses

Chronic Sinus Congestion & Acupuncture

How to Address the Underlying Cause of Sinusitis

Boost immune systemAcupuncture for allergies and sinuses
Brookline Acupuncture — Holistic Treatment for Allergies and Sinuses

Do you find yourself congested all the time? Even outside of typical allergy season? Are you trying to figure out if certain foods or triggers in your environment might be affecting your sinuses?

In our clinic, the first session is a comprehensive Intake, where we go over all the systems of your body to determine what underlying imbalances may be contributing to your symptoms.

If you’ve already visited an allergist, looked into potential structural blockages, and have addressed those issues conventionally, some of the areas I like to focus on when working with chronic sinus issues and congestion are:

Food Sensitivities: Conventional allergy testing typically does not look into food sensitivities. Immune reactions to foods can occur up to a day later, so testing is helpful to determine potential culprits. Food sensitivity symptoms can look like headaches, flushing, sneezing/congestion, increased heart rate, and even anxiety. These are different from true food allergies, which need to be addressed by an allergist.
Histamine Intolerance: I will often have my patients keep a food log for 3 days to help us track any patterns with high histamine foods. Treatment would include a temporary low histamine diet, supplements to help break down histamine when eating, and possibly a deeper dive into your gut health to find the source of the intolerance.
Circulation: Acupuncture for chronic sinus congestion can be helpful by reducing inflammation in the sinuses, and increasing circulation. Sometimes light cupping and lymph work is added to help open up the meridians in the face/sinuses to allow for more flow, and less stagnation. Acupuncture can also help to support your immune system in general.
Gut Health: Overgrowth and imbalances in the gut microbiome can lead to excess histamine production. Testing and herbal treatment may be recommended.
Candida: Similar to above, a stool test could possibly indicate a candida overgrowth, which we would address with diet + herbs
Environmental: I also help you look at what you might be exposed to daily, and help to determine if some changes in your environment could help. Eg. cleaning your heating/AC vents, getting a high quality HEPA filter for your home, looking into mold exposure, etc.