May 7th is World Asthma Day, and today’s post will examine the use of acupuncture as an add-on therapy for treatment of asthma for patients already using conventional treatments for asthma.
According to statistics from the CDC, nearly 8% of American adults have asthma, while slightly more than 8% of children have asthma. Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children. It is estimated that over $50 billion is spent each year on medical expenses related to asthma.
A research group from China performed a review and meta-analysis of published studies, examining the role of acupuncture as an add-on therapy to conventional treatments for asthma. Nine separate studies were included in their analysis, involving nearly 800 participants, from China, Korea, and Russia.
What the researchers discovered was that when acupuncture was added to conventional asthma treatment, acupuncture significantly improved the asthma symptom response rate, and also decreased IL-6 levels. IL-6 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine produced in the smooth muscle cells of many blood vessels.
There is a significant amount of interest in alternative health therapies among asthma sufferers, particularly in China, where acupuncture has been used for thousands of years. There remains interest in using acupuncture for asthma among health professionals as well, as there is another large study of this topic currently underway in China.
Given the promising results of this study, and the generally very good safety profile for acupuncture, perhaps adding on acupuncture to a conventional asthma treatment regimen may be worthy of consideration.
“It’s strange that words are so inadequate. Yet, like the asthmatic struggling for breath, so the lover must struggle for words.”– T.S. Eliot
(Source- Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Volume 2019)
This blog is a review of published medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss and health concerns with your personal physician.