Combined standard medication and acupuncture for COPD: a case series.

BACKGROUND: Traditional acupuncture has been used in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, only a few studies have been performed to determine the efficacy of this treatment. OBJECTIVE: To observe changes in the symptoms of COPD during acupuncture treatment in patients with COPD stratified according to the severity of the disease. METHODS: A prospective case series of 26 patients with dyspnoea on exertion due to COPD was followed from October 2004 to October 2008 in the Departments of Respiratory Internal Medicine, Gifu University of Medicine and Meiji University of Integrative Medicine, Japan. All participants received acupuncture treatments once a week for 10 weeks in addition to standard medication therapy. The main outcome measure was the modified Borg dyspnoea scale after the 6 min walk test (6MWT) and the secondary outcome measure was the BODE index. RESULTS: All 26 patients showed significant improvement in the Borg dyspnoea scale after 10 weeks of acupuncture treatment (from 4.02 (2.85) to 1.96 (1.97), mean difference -2.06, 95% CI -3.03 to -1.09, p=0.0002, paired t test). Improvements in the BODE index, 6MWT and oxygen saturation during exercise, which indicates better reduced dyspnoea on exertion and prognosis, were also found. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that acupuncture treatment has clinically useful effects, at least in the short term, in reducing dyspnoea on exercise in patients with COPD, particularly in those more severely affected.

The effect of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

OBJECTIVE: Many claims have been made regarding the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture. However, most controlled clinical studies have been limited to treatment of pain-related disorders and do not provide objective, quantifiable data for analysis. Traditional acupuncture has been applied to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, only a few studies have been performed to determine the efficacy of this treatment. This study was conducted to determine whether a combination of traditional acupuncture treatment and conservative treatment for COPD improves dyspnea on exercise. METHODS: This was a prospective trial with matched-pair parallel groups of patients from the departments of respiratory internal medicine of Gifu University of Medicine, Meiji University of Oriental Medicine, and Gifu Red Cross Hospital, Japan. Thirty patients were divided into the acupuncture group (n = 15) and the control group (n = 15). The control group received conservative treatment with medication only. The acupuncture group received acupuncture treatments once a week for 10 weeks, in addition to conservative treatment with medication. The main outcome measure was the Modified Borg dyspnea scale after the 6-minute walk test. RESULTS: The acupuncture group had significantly better results on the Borg scale than the control group after 10 weeks (2.2 +/- 2.7 versus 6.4 +/- 3.4, p = 0.0001, 95% confidence interval, -5.10 to -2.35, paired t-test). The 6-minute walk distance and oxygen saturation at the minimum rate improved significantly in the acupuncture group compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that acupuncture contributed to the reduction of COPD-related dyspnea on exercise in 15 matched-pair parallel subjects.

Relationship of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor level with other markers of disease severity in patients with atopic dermatitis.

Elevated serum levels of neurotrophins such as nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been reported in allergic and autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to assess serum levels of BDNF in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and to investigate the relationship of the BDNF level with other markers of disease severity. Serum BDNF concentration was significantly higher in patients with AD (n=62) compared to control subjects (n=20) (P<0.01). Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed a significant influence of the peripheral blood eosinophil counts (F=6.90) and the percentage of CD4(+)IL-4(+) (Th2) cells (F=6.61). Moreover, after remission of AD patients with conventionally treated AD patients (n=14), serum levels of BDNF, eosinophil counts and percentage of Th2 cells were decreased significantly. These results suggest that serum BDNF may be a useful marker of disease activity in AD and that both eosinophils and Th2 cells are major cellular sources of serum BDNF.

[A case of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) successfully treated by acupuncture].

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) involves a decrease in respiratory function and limits daily activities. We report a COPD patient whose respiratory symptoms were improved by acupuncture treatment. A 66-year-old man visited Gifu University Hospital with breathlessness on exercise. Despite medication, his general condition worsened. A series of acupuncture treatments was subsequently started on October 27, 2001. He had level III breathlessness on JRS classification prior to acupuncture treatment, and his respiratory function parameters were VC: 3.54 L, FEV1: 1.19 L, FEV1% (G): 33.6% and %FEV1: 45%. The basic meridian points used were KI 3 (Fuliu), LU 9 (Taiyuan), LU 1 (Zhongfu), CV 12 (Zhongwan), CV 4 (Guanyuan), BL 13 (Feishu), and BL 23 (Shenshu). The acupuncture needles were retained for ten minutes in each session. This research design was used to detect the specific efficacy of acupuncture treatment After ten acupuncture treatments over two months, his walking distance, Borg scale and respiratory function were improved compared with before treatment. These findings suggest that acupuncture treatment may be efficacious for advanced cases of COPD.