Several weeks ago a lovely lady popped into one of my clinics. She is an avid reader of the Health & Wellbeing magazine and remembered that in one of my articles I had said that acupuncture was extremely effective at treating hay fever and sinus issues. She wasn’t interested in treatment for herself, it was for her 20 year old son, who was crucified with hay fever for 5 months a year, every year. He was so miserable every Spring/Summer, locked indoors, that it made her miserable too. She was at the end of her tether and, to be honest, told me she was now ‘clutching at straws’! While my ego was a bit bruised that I was the ‘straw she was clutching at’ I was pretty confident that, whatever about me, acupuncture wouldn’t let her down.

Her son arrived in for his first appointment the following week. We spent a long time going through his full medical history and immediately I could see where some of the problems lay. His diet was a disaster. He was addicted to fizzy drinks, ate lots of processed foods, like sliced white bread, and consumed lots of sugary snacks. His intake of fresh fruit and vegetables was minimal, and he drank little to no water. So, we had a really good chat about the impact of his diet on his health. I explained how our digestive system is the engine that runs our body and that if we don’t put in the appropriate fuel we can’t expect it to run correctly. When you use an analogy that someone can relate to, like putting petrol in a diesel car and expecting it to run smoothly, then the patient understands why you are requesting them to make changes. It is extremely empowering for the patient to know that they have control over their health. We discussed at length the types of foods that Peter* should eat and the stuff he really needed to cut out and avoid.

Peter reacted very well to the acupuncture and within a handful of treatments his hay fever had all but disappeared. He kept a food diary for me and took great pride in showing me all the fresh fruit and veg he had consumed, the water he had drunk and the ever-decreasing quantities of fizzy drinks. He now had one can of Coke per week as a treat! Not only did his hay fever disappear but his energy levels increased, he slept better, and he lost the weight on his tummy that he hated so much.

For the first time since his early teens Peter is now enjoying the warm weather. He’s now out with his friends in the evenings, instead of being locked indoors, and his Mum is happy too as he can finally cut the grass!

*Not the patient’s real name.