Natural Allergy Relief: Alternative Allergy Therapies

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is based on the idea that diseases can be cured by giving the substance that causes the disease back to a person in extremely small amounts. This is a similar to the principle used in immunotherapy, except in much smaller doses that have proven to be beneficial with using allergy shots.

Asthma
Three well-designed studies show little to no benefit of homeopathic remedies in the treatment of asthma.

Allergic rhinitis

Some studies show a benefit of homeopathy in the treatment of allergic rhinitis, with benefit over anti-histamines such as chlorpheniramine or equivalence to cromolyn nasal spray. However, numerous other studies show no benefit of homeopathy compared to placebo.

Despite some encouraging results in some small, selected studies, the overall evidence for homeopathy is weak, while evidence for conventional medications in the treatment of allergic rhinitis and asthma is very strong.

Other Techniques

Chiropractic-Spinal Manipulation

More than 100 patients with asthma were studied while being treated with "real" or "fake" chiropractic techniques. There were no differences between the two groups in terms of their asthma symptoms. However, one of these studies did show that the patients who received real chiropractic treatment had decreased sensitivity to an irritant medication (methacholine) used to detect severity of asthma. Another poorly-designed study on chiropractic techniques in asthma showed mild increase in a measurement of lung function in the group receiving treatment, although no symptoms were measured.

Breathing Techniques/Yoga

Breathing techniques and yoga can be beneficial in terms of mental well-being and improvement in quality of life scores for asthmatics. However, studies on techniques such as Buteyko breathing, Sahaja, Hatha and Pranayama yoga fail to show any consistent improvement in asthma symptoms or definite improvement in lung function testing. No studies are available for allergic rhinitis.

Biofeedback/Hypnosis

All studies reviewed on the use of biofeedback and hypnosis in the treatment of asthma were of poor study design and failed to show any benefit.

Miscellaneous Holistic Therapies

There are no well-designed studies on the use of the following for the treatment of asthma or allergic rhinitis, and therefore these techniques should not be considered useful:
aromatherapy
chromotherapy
Bach's flowers
anthroposophy
Hopi candles
hydro-colon
urine therapy
clinical ecology
iridology
While it would seem reasonable to make CAM part of an overall treatment regimen, it does not make sense for these unproven techniques to replace proven conventional therapies for potentially serious diseases (such as asthma). CAM appears to help with the mental and spiritual well-being of patients, which is not to be under-estimated. However, there is no definitive scientific basis for using CAM as the only treatment for asthma or allergic rhinitis. Always consult with a physician before utilizing CAM, especially if using this in place of prescribed therapies.