Early spring may be the best time to use traditional remedies for natural allergy relief, says Dr. Fred Lisanti, a naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist at Integrative Med Solutions in Eastchester. “Several studies have shown that using alternative choices such as acupuncture and naturopathic medicine for allergy relief could help your body heal itself without side effects,” he says.

He cites a 2013 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which followed 422 people who were treated for allergies with acupuncture, rescue medication (RM) or placebo acupuncture. The study concluded that “acupuncture led to statistically significant improvements in disease-specific quality of life and antihistamine use measures after eight weeks of treatment compared with sham acupuncture and with RM alone.”

Naturopathic remedies such as clinical nutrition (diet), nutraceuticals (vitamins, minerals, enzymes), homeopathy (vibrational medicine) and botanical medicine (closely monitored herbal treatments) can work in conjunction with acupuncture for a significantly effective, long-lasting response, Lisanti says, adding, “Rather than making your body struggle with synthetic pharmaceutical fixes, acupuncture and naturopathic medicine may be a better fit.”

One easy nutraceutical addition during allergy season is 2,000 mg of vitamin C daily, which according to the University of Maryland Medical Center acts as a natural antihistamine and may reduce allergy symptoms.

At Integrative Med Solutions, allergy relief is approached at the root cause and addressed with various treatments overseen by Lisanti. “Each patient is individually assessed so a natural course of personally designed acupuncture and hand-picked naturopathic remedies can be applied,” he says.

For appointments or more info, visit IntMedSolutions.com or call 914.337.2980.