Research appearing in the journal Allergologie (1997; 20(2):63–68) examined the effects of acupuncture treatment in subjects with allergic asthma. The study involved 38 patients with mild allergic asthma who were randomly divided into two groups. The control group received acupuncture at points not traditionally associated with asthma treatment, while the treatment group received acupuncture at points used for asthma.
Both groups were treated over a four-week period and received a total of 12 treatments. The treatment group experienced a decrease in eosinophils (white blood cells commonly elevated in allergic conditions). They also showed increases in immune markers, including CD3+, CD4+, and interleukins-6, -8, and -10. Improvement in asthma symptoms occurred in nearly 80% of the treatment group.
Acupuncture may therefore be useful for patients with asthma. Another very small study, published in the Journal of the Chinese Medical Association (2005; 68(12):591–594), examined three subjects with asthma and the effect acupuncture had on airway function. Pulmonary function tests were performed before and after acupuncture treatment. Following treatment, there was an average 20% improvement in forced expiratory volume (FEV). Symptoms also improved in all three subjects.
After four hours, forced expiratory volume in two of the three subjects returned to pre-treatment levels. While this study is far too small to draw long-term conclusions, it does suggest that larger, well-designed studies would be worthwhile.
