Airtight International Ltd

Manufacturers of 'The Original Qu-Chi Band' for all year relief from allergic rhinitis and hayfever.
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BACKGROUND

 
Increasingly, people are seeking alternative methods of symptomatic relief. People are less inclined to use drugs. This is also the case in hayfever and other forms of allergic rhinitis, where many of the conventional treatments (e.g. antihistamines) can cause side effects, interact with other medication or be contraindicated (e.g. breast feeding). Even the non-sedating drugs are sometimes not tolerated. They are also expensive and in some people may not even help. We have developed an acupressure band, which stimulates an acupuncture point to help with hayfever-type symptoms.It can be used on its own or as an adjunct to drug therapy.
Product development

Andrew Broch qualified in acupuncture and acupressure in 1999. During his first year in practice Andrew, who suffers from hayfever, found that acupuncture was extremely effective for the relief of his symptoms. He trained initially at the Northern college of Acupuncture and then under George Broch, who is a lecturer & examiner in acupuncture as well as running the ‘Leeds Acupuncture Clinic’ in north Leeds for over 25 years.

Using this knowledge he set about inventing the ‘QU-CHI band'  to isolate a specific acupuncture point. The ‘Qu-Chi’ band started out as 2 elastic bands before progressing to early prototypes made from socks, which were actually found to be extremely effective by some of his patients, however they were neither very comfortable nor attractive.

Andrew took the concept to Airtight International for further development. Airtight organised some medical trials with some proto-type bands. The studies suggested a benefit experienced by people wearing the ‘Qu-Chi band’.
'Qu-Chi' Point in Chinese medicine

‘QuChi’ (‘koo-chee’) is the Chinese name for an acupuncture point (literal translation ‘crooked pond’). The point lies on the Large Intestine meridian. Meridians are pathways around the body, through which vital energy (known as ‘Qi’ or ‘Chi’) flows to maintain normal body function. The Large Intestine meridian starts at the forefinger (LI 1) and travels through the throat to the nose (at LI 20). The Qu-Chi point is point number 11 on the line and is thought to pull excess energy from the face and nose.

The point can be located easily . When the elbow is bent, a skin crease can be seen. The LI-11 point lies at the end of the crease on the outer aspect of the arm. The point has been used for thousands of years to treat conditions such as eczema, skin problems and joint problems. In Chinese medicine speak it is said to remove superficial heat from the skin and could also be used in conditions such as urticaria, tennis elbow and sinusitis. Interestingly there has been some investigation of this point by western scientists, who have shown that it can stimulate part of the immune system and is beneficial in reducing itching symptoms in patients with kidney disease.