Do you suffer from asthma? You might want to give my treatments a try. I use a number of time-honored points and then some culled from the various studies that have been completed over the years to get maximum results. And the results can be quite impressive, as you see in the case below.
Recent guidelines from the Taskforce on Allergies from the Society for Ear, Nose and Throat specialists recommend acupuncture for patients who desire or require natural treatment for allergies. One of my patients says,
There have been some studies that suggest some physiological reasons why acupuncture might help in cases of asthma. The first study (2) looked at pulmonary function in two groups. Both of the groups were receiving anti-asthma medications. There was a significant improvement in the acupuncture group versus the control group after acupuncture treatment. Interestingly, in this study they also looked at Heart rate variability, the focus of my own research (3). They confirmed my findings that acupuncture increased the “vegetative” or restorative (parasympathetic) arm of the autonomic nervous system. They conclude that the improvement in lung function may, indeed, be from this effect. There is some evidence from animal studies that it may decrease lung inflammation also.
Asthma is on the rise. There are many reasons for that. Pollution of various types has risen. There is evidence that acetaminophen at an early age can lead to asthma, and the use of hand sanitizers may be a culprit too.
I’ve cited some studies below which outline some of the ways that acupuncture helps asthma.
There are some acupuncture points that actually help the lung function and the airways to relax. Some of the acupuncture points can actually boost immune function, which is key to long term results
Acupuncture has an anti-inflammatory effect
The second article (4) postulates that the mechanism for acupuncture effectiveness in asthma is due to the fact that there are neurotrophic factors in the dorsal root ganglia situated at C5-T5 vertebral levels. Traditionally, many of the points used for asthma are near these intervertebral levels, so it is conceivable that the mechanism for bronchodilation is through the neurotrophic factors (Substance P has been shown to cause a series of reactions such as contraction of the airway smooth muscle, secretion of mucous, seepage of capillary vessels, and release of mediators of inflammation, and aggravation of airway hyperreactivity.). Neurotrophic factors could modulate substance P release.
Dr. Sparrow has been practicing acupuncture for 16 years and is Board Certified in Anesthesiology and Pediatrics.
She has a keen interest in her patients, prevention, health matters and the research behind acupuncture’s effectiveness.
