Amanda Rosenberg, L.Ac. | Energy Matters Acupuncture & Qigong | Oakland, CA

The Bay Area is one of the most challenging environments in the country for allergy sufferers. The long growing season, the particular combination of tree, grass, and mold pollens that characterize the East Bay's climate, and the urban air quality issues that compound natural allergens make Oakland and the surrounding area a difficult place to live for people whose immune systems are reactive.

Most people with allergies in the Bay Area manage them — with antihistamines, nasal corticosteroids, and the seasonal rituals of avoidance and medication adjustment that become the background texture of life from February through October. What they are not doing, in most cases, is addressing why their immune system is reactive in the first place.

This is where Chinese medicine offers something different. Not symptom suppression, but a systematic approach to the underlying immune pattern that is producing the reactivity — an approach that, with consistent treatment, can meaningfully reduce both the frequency and severity of allergic responses rather than simply managing their expression.

Amanda Rosenberg, L.Ac. has worked with allergic conditions as a consistent thread throughout her 15 years of clinical practice at Energy Matters Acupuncture in Oakland. Allergies and respiratory health appear in her stated specialties alongside stress and nervous system regulation — the two conditions are more connected than most patients realize.

For a broader overview of Amanda's practice and all the conditions she works with, see her practitioner hub page.

How Chinese Medicine Understands Allergies

In Chinese medicine, allergic conditions are understood through two primary frameworks that complement rather than compete with Western immunology:

Wei Qi — The Defensive Energy

Wei Qi is the body's outermost layer of protective energy — the defensive force that circulates at the surface of the body and governs the immune system's capacity to distinguish self from non-self, to mount appropriate responses to genuine threats, and to stand down from responses to harmless environmental inputs. When Wei Qi is strong, the immune system is discerning: it responds proportionately to actual threats and does not overreact to pollen, dust, or animal dander. When Wei Qi is depleted or dysregulated — through chronic stress, constitutional weakness, or the accumulated burden of an overtaxed system — the immune response loses its discrimination and becomes hyperreactive.

This maps remarkably well onto what immunology now understands about IgE-mediated allergic responses: the immune system misidentifying harmless substances as threats and mounting an inflammatory response disproportionate to the actual danger. The Chinese medicine intervention is not to suppress that response but to strengthen and regulate the system producing it.

Lung and Spleen Deficiency

The Lung system in Chinese medicine governs the respiratory tract and the body's relationship with its environment — literally and energetically, the capacity to breathe in what nourishes and breathe out what doesn't belong. The Spleen governs the transformation of food and liquid into Qi and Blood, and plays a central role in Damp accumulation — the pathological pattern that underlies most chronic respiratory and sinus conditions in Chinese medicine.

When Lung Qi is deficient, the respiratory tract is vulnerable: susceptible to environmental triggers, slow to clear, prone to the congestion and inflammation that characterize allergic rhinitis and asthma. When Spleen function is impaired — by poor diet, chronic stress, or constitutional factors — it fails to transform and transport properly, generating Damp that accumulates in the respiratory tract as mucus, congestion, and the heavy, foggy quality that allergy sufferers know well.

Treatment addresses both layers: strengthening Lung Qi to build the respiratory system's resilience, and supporting Spleen function to clear the Damp accumulation that is making symptoms worse.

What the Research Shows

The evidence base for acupuncture in allergic rhinitis has grown substantially over the past decade. A 2015 Cochrane systematic review — the most rigorous form of evidence synthesis available — found that acupuncture provided clinically relevant improvements in allergy symptoms and quality of life compared to sham acupuncture and antihistamine use. The German ACUSAR trial, one of the largest randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for allergic rhinitis, found that acupuncture produced significantly greater improvements in symptom scores and quality of life than either sham acupuncture or antihistamine treatment alone.

The mechanisms are increasingly well understood. Acupuncture modulates the immune response by reducing IgE levels, decreasing eosinophil activity, and shifting the Th1/Th2 immune balance away from the Th2 dominance that underlies atopic allergic responses. It reduces histamine release from mast cells and decreases the neurogenic inflammation that amplifies allergic symptoms in the nasal mucosa and bronchial tissue.

These are not placebo effects. They are measurable immunological changes that explain why patients who receive consistent acupuncture treatment over a full season often find their subsequent allergy seasons significantly less severe.

Allergies and Asthma — The Respiratory Connection

Allergic rhinitis and asthma exist on a continuum. The same immune dysregulation that produces nasal allergy symptoms in the upper respiratory tract produces asthmatic responses in the lower respiratory tract. Many patients have both — and research confirms that treating allergic rhinitis reduces asthma severity, because the same inflammatory cascade is driving both.

Chinese medicine has understood this connection as an intrinsic feature of the Lung system for centuries. The Lung system governs the entire respiratory tract — upper and lower, internal and external — and conditions that affect one part of it affect the whole. This is why acupuncture treatment for allergic rhinitis often produces improvements in asthma symptoms that were not the primary treatment target, and why treatment for asthma addresses the same underlying Lung and Wei Qi patterns as allergy treatment.

Amanda's approach to asthma is integrative — working alongside whatever conventional management the patient is using, not as a replacement for rescue inhalers or controller medications but as a treatment that addresses the underlying immune and inflammatory terrain that is driving the need for those medications. Many patients find that consistent acupuncture and herbal treatment reduces both the frequency of exacerbations and the amount of medication needed to maintain control.

The Stress-Allergy Connection

The relationship between stress and allergic reactivity is one of the most clinically significant and most underrecognized aspects of allergy management. The immune system and the nervous system are not separate systems that occasionally interact. They are deeply intertwined — the same neural and hormonal pathways that regulate the stress response also regulate immune function, and chronic sympathetic nervous system activation directly shifts the immune system toward the Th2 dominance that drives atopic allergic responses.

This is why allergy symptoms reliably worsen during periods of high stress, why the allergy patient who manages their stress load well typically has milder seasons than the one who does not, and why Amanda's whole-person approach — addressing both the allergic pattern and the nervous system state contributing to it — produces more complete results than targeting the allergy alone.

Amanda's integration of nervous system work into her allergy treatment is not a separate intervention. It is a recognition that the Lung and Wei Qi patterns underlying allergic reactivity are often the same patterns that produce the stress-driven immune dysregulation that makes those allergies worse. Treating both together is more efficient and more complete than treating each in isolation.

For more on Amanda's approach to stress and the nervous system, see Acupuncture for Stress, Anxiety, and Nervous System Support in Oakland.

Herbal Medicine for Allergies

Chinese herbal medicine is a significant part of Amanda's approach to allergic conditions — not as an adjunct to acupuncture but as a clinical tool with its own distinct mechanism and clinical depth. The herbal tradition for respiratory and allergic conditions in Chinese medicine is extensive, with classical formulas that have been used and refined for centuries and a growing contemporary research base confirming their mechanisms.

Classical formulas for Lung Qi deficiency and Wei Qi regulation — such as Yu Ping Feng San (Jade Windscreen Formula) — have documented effects on IgE levels, mast cell stabilization, and immune modulation that explain their clinical effectiveness in allergic conditions. Formulas for Damp clearing address the mucus accumulation and sinus congestion that make allergy symptoms so physically miserable.

Amanda prescribes herbal formulas as part of a comprehensive treatment plan, adjusting them to the individual patient's pattern and refining them as the treatment progresses. For allergy patients, herbal medicine extends the treatment effect between acupuncture sessions — maintaining the immune modulation that acupuncture initiates and preventing the reaccumulation of the Damp and reactivity patterns between visits.

Seasonal vs. Perennial Allergies — What to Expect

The treatment approach for seasonal allergies differs somewhat from perennial (year-round) allergies. For seasonal allergies, Amanda typically recommends beginning treatment four to six weeks before the anticipated allergy season — building Wei Qi and reducing immune reactivity before the pollen load arrives rather than trying to reduce inflammation after it is already fully activated. Patients who begin treatment in this window often find their season dramatically milder than previous years.

For perennial allergies driven by dust mites, mold, or animal dander, the treatment timeline is longer and the focus shifts toward the underlying constitutional patterns — the Lung Qi deficiency, Spleen dysfunction, or chronic Damp accumulation — that are maintaining the immune reactivity regardless of seasonal variation. Meaningful improvement in perennial allergies typically takes three to six months of consistent treatment.

"My acupuncture and cupping sessions with Mandy made a huge difference. Since Mandy is a general practitioner, she took the time to inquire about any other issues I might be having — from allergies to quality of sleep." — Wendy Dalberti

Frequently Asked Questions

Can acupuncture replace my allergy medication?

For some patients with mild to moderate seasonal allergies, acupuncture and herbal medicine can provide sufficient relief that medication is not needed during the season. For patients with more severe allergies or allergic asthma, acupuncture works most effectively as an integrative layer alongside conventional management — reducing the overall symptom burden and the amount of medication needed to maintain control rather than replacing medication entirely. Amanda is direct about what is realistic for each patient's presentation at the first appointment.

How many sessions will I need to see results?

For seasonal allergy prevention, a series of four to six treatments in the month before the season begins is the most effective starting point, followed by maintenance treatment as needed during the season. For patients presenting with active symptoms, most notice some improvement within three to five treatments. Perennial allergy patients typically require a longer course — eight to twelve treatments over two to three months — to address the underlying constitutional patterns driving year-round reactivity.

Can children receive treatment for allergies?

Yes — Amanda accepts patients ages 6 and up, and allergic conditions in children respond well to acupuncture and herbal medicine. Her Japanese-inspired needling technique is particularly well suited for younger or more sensitive patients, and she adjusts the treatment approach to what is appropriate for each child's age and comfort level.

Do you treat allergic skin conditions like eczema?

Yes. Eczema, allergic contact dermatitis, and urticaria share the same underlying Th2-dominant immune pattern as respiratory allergies — they are different expressions of the same terrain. Amanda works with these conditions using the same combination of acupuncture, herbal medicine, and immune regulation, and often finds that treating the underlying allergic pattern improves both respiratory and skin manifestations simultaneously.

Related Articles

This article is part of Energy Matters' practitioner authority series. Related content:

Amanda Rosenberg, L.Ac. — Practitioner Hub — Amanda's full approach, training, and clinical specialties

Acupuncture for Stress, Anxiety, and Nervous System Support in Oakland — the stress-immune connection and how nervous system work supports allergy treatment

Cancer Support Acupuncture in Oakland — immune regulation as a thread across Amanda's clinical work

Acupuncture for Insomnia and Sleep in Oakland — sleep disruption as a contributing factor in immune dysregulation

Gentle Acupuncture for Sensitive Patients and Older Adults in Oakland — Amanda's gentle approach for patients with sensitive constitutions

Book an Appointment with Amanda Rosenberg

Amanda is accepting new patients ages 6 and up at Energy Matters Acupuncture, 4341 Piedmont Avenue, Suite 202, Oakland CA 94611. She sees patients Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

energymattersonline.com | (510) 756-2538

Cigna, VA CCN, and AcuNetwork accepted. Superbills provided for all other insurance.