title: Complementary and integrative treatments: allergy.
abstract: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a global disease affecting hundreds of millions internationally. Substantial pharmacologic gains have been made in the treatment of allergy, including antihistamines, steroids, and leukotriene inhibitors. Pharmacology and immunotherapy are the 2 primary choices in an otolaryngologist's armamentarium of allergy treatment. Outside of these options lie complementary and integrative medicine, including various herbs and supplementation along with acupuncture. Some of these methods have shown great efficacy in treating AR and others have failed to show any improvement. This article reviews AR and some of the more common therapies used to care for the disease.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030, USA. ggarbo@resident.uchc.edu
authors.forename: Grant
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garbo
authors.forename: Belachew
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tessema
authors.forename: Seth M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D055048:Integrative Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents