Have You Tried Acupuncture for Your Asthma?

A study published Clinical Reviews in Allergy and Immunology (2012 Jun 3. [Epub ahead of print]) looked at how acupuncture influences immune markers in patients with allergic asthma. The treatment used three traditional acupuncture points—GV14, BL12, and BL13—selected for their long-standing use in Chinese medicine for respiratory and allergic conditions.

Researchers measured concentrations of several immunoglobulins involved in allergic responses, including IgE, IgA, and secretory IgA. All three were reduced after acupuncture treatment. Levels of eosinophils, white blood cells that commonly rise during allergic reactions, also decreased.

At the same time, several important immune cells increased, including CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T lymphocytes. According to the authors, these shifts suggest that acupuncture may help modulate the immune response both on a cellular level and within the mucosal lining. They concluded that acupuncture may be a useful adjunctive therapy for patients with allergic asthma.

Newer Research Supports the Use of Acupuncture for Asthma

One study showed that combining acupuncture with standard asthma treatment significantly improved symptom response and lowered the inflammatory marker IL-6. However, it did not lead to measurable improvements in lung function tests such as FEV1 or FEV1/FVC. Even so, the authors concluded that acupuncture can be a helpful addition to conventional asthma care [1].

Researchers reviewed 30 randomized controlled trials involving 2,722 asthma patients and several types of acupuncture. Overall, acupoint application improved lung function the most, while acupoint catgut embedding showed the greatest improvement in asthma control scores. Most studies were of moderate quality [2]. Click for more on acupuncture.