Alternative allergy treatments include therapies that fall outside the boundaries of traditional allergy medicine. Some of these treatments – such as homeopathy, acupuncture, herbs and dietary supplements, and hypnosis – are familiar to the general public. Other treatments are more obscure.

According to a 2002 study conducted by the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), more than one-third of adults in the United States use alternative treatments for health.

Practitioners of alternative allergy treatments use these therapies to treat allergic rhinitis, food allergies, asthma and other well-established immune system disorders. However, some proponents of alternative allergy treatments also treat disorders tied to substances not traditionally associated with allergic reactions. These include:

• Various chemicals found in solvents, paints and perfumes
  
  
• Electromagnetic radiation from power lines and electronic devices
  
  
• Food additives, including dyes and preservatives
  
  
• Microorganisms such as yeast (Candida albicans)
  
  
• Hormones in the body, especially progesterone

Most medical experts are skeptical of the value of alternative allergy treatments in the absence of scientific proof that these treatments are safe and effective. Before any treatment or procedure is accepted as scientifically valid, it must undergo rigorous testing and clinical trials. Alternative treatments generally have not met these standards, and instead rely on anecdotal claims of success on the part of physicians and patients.

In addition, many medical experts reject some of the standard claims made by alternative-treatment proponents, such as the notion that yeasts and toxins are true allergens. Though these experts acknowledge evidence that some of these substances cause physiological changes in people, none trigger the immune system overreaction that is the basis for an allergic reaction.

Despite such skepticism, millions of people suffering with allergies turn to alternative allergy treatments each year, sometimes on the recommendation from a physician. If a physician recommends an alternative treatment, the patient should seek a second opinion from a board-certified allergist/immunologist.