The addition of acupuncture to an inpatient asthma rehabilitation programme results in improvement in bronchial hyper-reactivity and reduced anxiety for paediatric patients. In a German study, 93 paediatric asthma patients were randomised to usual care (sports, climate therapy and behavioural training) or usual care plus twelve weekly half-hour sessions of acupuncture. Acupuncture treatment consisted of three standard points (bilateral Feishu BL-13, Shanzhong REN-17 and bilateral Lieque LU-7) plus between two and six additional points, based on the patient’s TCM diagnosis (e.g. Fenglong ST-40 for mucus, Zhaohai KID-6 for Kidney qi deficiency, Quchi L.I.-11 for Lung yin deficiency, Jiexi ST-41 for Stomach heat, Pohu BL-42 for grief and worries). In the post-treatment acupuncture group, peak expiratory flow variability (a measure of bronchial hyper-reactivity) was found to show significant improvement compared with that of control patients. In addition, the acupuncture group was found to show significantly reduced levels of perceived anxiety on discharge from hospital. (Acupuncture in children and adolescents with bronchial asthma: a randomised controlled study. Complement Ther Med. 2011 Oct;19(5):239-46).
Categories: Babies children / paediatrics, Respiratory disorders