I saw that acupuncture was mentioned in a local news broadcast about allergies. Based on the article and comments, I am inspired to continue educating the public; I feel that is my task as a health care professional.
Acupuncture produces both specific and general beneficial, detectable effects on the body. Not only is it extremely effective when combined with whole herbs and/or pharmaceuticals (because who said doing acupuncture meant giving up your current means of relief?), it also produces changes in the brain that can be detected with fMRI - here's a study done at NIH.
This study provides information on how acupuncture regulates pain, but how about allergies? First we can think of the mechanisms of allergy drugs, like antihistamines, steroids, etc. They inhibit immune receptors that are overactive during an allergy attack. However, this is a non-specific effect, meaning that it is likely to leave the immune system vulnerable to actual pathogens or to cause side-effects.
Ask your doctor how your body maintains the proper amount of histamine receptors, and he or she will probably tell you a variety of things: genetics, metabolism, endocrine activity... But the truth is that this way of looking at medicine can only examine the infinite detail as it is categorized, further separating the right arm from the left arm. This article from Time in 1992 reveals that both our approach to education and our infatuation with neo-technology have led medical care into a fragmented state that further distances the public from seeking help without significant trauma to both mental and financial (and sometimes even physical) states.
Acupuncturists are provided with extensive medical training on assessment, pediatrics, and most importantly, referral. Physicians are tired of doling out drugs for routine family issues; they want to be where they're needed. This works perfectly with acupuncture, which can happily manage fibromyalgia, IBS, and depression, but certainly doesn't set broken bones or manage physical obstructions.
Many younger physicians are somewhat familiar with and open to acupuncture, as it is included in their complementary alternative medicine (CAM) module of study. More allopathic doctors have a basic understanding of Chinese medicine principles as well as familiarity with the extent of the acupuncturist's biomedical education. (here's the module where I graduated)
