Acupuncture Reduces Shortness of Breath for People with COPD

from the Archives of Internal Medicine

In the first placebo-controlled, randomized study of acupuncture as a treatment for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), researchers at Kyoto University in Japan demonstrated the efficacy of acupuncture for improvement of shortness of breath with exercise (known as dyspnea on exertion or DOE) as well as increased exercise tolerance in people with COPD. Noted in the journal commentary published with the article, the standardization of acupuncture points used in the study increases the reproducibility of the technique by other practitioners.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (a common disease characterized by irreversible limitation of airflow into the lungs) is predicted to be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2020.  Dyspnea or shortness of breath (also known as hunger for air) is the most fundamental and debilitating symptom of COPD. The severity of dyspnea generally progresses over time in patients with COPD, and dyspnea has been found to be predictive of survival. 

In addition, study participants who received acupuncture had better nutrition at the end of the study than those who did not. Malnutrition is one of the major problems in COPD. In the study, reduced Body Mass Index and protein levels were significantly improved after 12 weeks of acupuncture.