Acupuncture for Breathing Difficulty in COPD

[gerald]

This is the first independent review, from an MD, that I have seen covering accupuncture.  I thought I had seen a Government review on it but I have not been able to rediscover that.  Worth a read.   If you follow the link to the website the article is complete with diagrams which provides perhaps a clearer explanation



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Acupuncture for Breathing Difficulty in COPD

Review of Results from Six Acupuncture Studies

In the February 2016 issue of the journal Medical Acupuncture, I wrote a perspective on acupuncture for relief of breathlessness in those with COPD. Why Consider Acupuncture? Many of those with COPD have shortness of breath with daily activities or even at rest despite best available therapies. I consider acupuncture to be an “alternative” for relief of breathing difficulty after all standard treatments have been tried. Here is brief information on how acupuncture works. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the bodily functions are regulated by an energy called Qi that flows through the body. Breathing difficulty is due to a deficiency in the flow of Qi in the lungs.

Acupuncture is a family of procedures that aim to correct imbalances in the flow of Qi by stimulating points on or under the skin. Acupuncture is thought to allow Qi to flow from inside of the body to the skin and muscles along channels called meridians. The lung meridian (see above) controls breath and energy. There are 11 acupuncture sites of the lung meridian that include the front of chest just below the clavicle (collar bone), the arm, forearm, and hand.

In my review, I found six published studies that examined acupuncture for relief of dyspnea in a total of 256 individuals with COPD. Treatments ranged from a single 45-minute session to 14 sessions over 4 weeks. In all 6 studies, there a sham (placebo) or control group for comparison with the treatment group. Ratings of breathing difficulty decreased significantly in 5 of 6 studies. Some studies used needles placed in the skin, while other studies applied electrical stimulation to pads placed on the skin.

How might these acupuncture techniques relieve breathing difficulty? There are 3 main possibilities.

    1. Areas of the brain – where breathing difficulty is experiended – are altered.
    2. Lung function improves – studies show increases of 20 – 128 milliliters in air exhaled in one second
    3. Endorphins – naturally occurring narcotic substances – are released that reduce pain as well as         breathlessness

Are there Risks?
There are reports of dizziness, loss on consciousness, bruising at the needle insertion site, and pneumothorax with acupuncture. For pneumothorax to occur, the needle most likely penetrated through the lining around the lung, allowing air to enter into this space, and compress the lung. In 3 of the 6 studies, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) was applied to pads instead of placing needles in the skin.

My Comment:
The results are encouraging as 5 of 6 studies showed relief of breathlessness compared with sham treatment. You may wish to consider either acupuncture or electroacupuncture with pads placed on the skin if your experience of breathlessness is disabling and distressing. If you try one of these techniques, you should find an experienced practioner who is willing to discuss the pros and cons with you


Donald A. Mahler, M.D. is Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire. He works as a pulmonary physician at Valley Regional Hospital in Claremont, NH, where he is Director of Respiratory Services.

www.donaldmahler.com/acupuncture-for-relief-of-breathing-difficulty-in-copd/

[susan]

I read an article by The National Institute of Health in the U.S. re one of the studies they did on the effect of acupuncture in the treatment of COPD.  They concluded, "This study demonstrated that acupuncture contributed to the reduction of COPD-related dyspnea on exercise in 15 matched-pair parallel subjects."
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19055335

Another N.I.H. study I found interesting was entitled "Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation on Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Prospective, Single-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study." www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26218785  This study included where they placed the electrodes. 

My Naturopath gave me acupuncture during an appointment I had early last October and it did seem to make a noticeable improvement on my being short of breath. I was breathing much better for the rest of the day. 

I am just now beginning to get some strength back after my hospitalization with pneumonia, then my bad reaction to Spiriva and then an upper respiratory viral infection.  I intend to try acupuncture again.

[gerald]

Susan, thank you for posting the National Institute studies, I think these add credibility to the results.

This is something I need to look into, see if I can find any practioner locally that knows anything about COPD!