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ASTHMA Over 20 million people, or 1 in 15 people, in the U.S. suffer from asthma, and 30,000 people have an asthma attack every day. These figures are increasing despite the billions of dollars spent on medication annually.
What is Asthma?
Asthma is a respiratory disorder characterized by wheezing and shortness of breath. Other symptoms may include coughing and chest tightness. Asthma is caused by chronic inflammation of airway passages, making them highly sensitive to various triggers, such as pollen, cigarette smoke, and any other allergens.
How Does it Work?
Asthma is an immune disorder with wheezing and shortness of breath as the manifestations of the body's immune response to pathogens found in the environment. Our experience has shown that in the majority of asthma cases, the patient has an imbalanced immune system. Naturally, our treatments focus on balancing and strengthening the immune system. And many patients report significant, lasting benefits in just a few sessions of treatment.
Pathology
1. Excess Type
Invasion of Wind couple with heat or cold
Phlegm-Damp or Phlegm-Heat
2. Deficiency Type
LU Deficiency
KD Deficiency
2. Liver Patterns
LV Qi Stagnation
LV Fire insulting the LU
LV Yin Deficiency
Why Acupuncture?
Reduction in symptoms
Reduce and completely eliminate prescription medication intake
Improve chemical imbalance in your body
Balance and strengthen immune system as a whole
No or minimal side effects
Cost effective (see below)
In 1990, costs related to asthma were estimated at $6.2 billion. According to the American Lung Association, the average cost for one hospital stay for a child with asthma is $4,000. Acupuncture, by contrast, costs an average of $85 per session and can eliminate the need for emergency hospital visits and Western drugs. An estimated 70 to 80 percent of the nation's insurers covered acupuncture treatments in 1996, making it an even more viable option for those with asthma.
What to Expect
The first acupuncture treatment will often relieve an acute exacerbation, but a course of 8 to 20 treatments should be given for lasting relief. Initially, the patient will feel better and need their inhaler less, and ultimately may not need to depend on an inhaler anymore. Acupuncture can be a safe alternative for treating asthma with no side effects.
Research
An article in the American Medical Association Newspaper (3/6/95) from the Associated Press reported that the FDA is weighing acupuncture’s effectiveness in the treatment of asthma. Kim Jobst, M.D. of Oxford University wrote an article for the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine that the use of acupuncture as an aid in respiratory ailments might be safer than prolonged use of drugs. The article reports that at the request of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Jobst collected all the research on chronic lung diseases treated by acupuncture. From 16 studies, he says that acupuncture showed signs of being effective in 62% of the cases. This means fewer attacks and fewer doses of the drugs.
A study done by Zhang Qin also showed positive results from acupuncture in helping with asthma. From September 1980 to April 1987, he treated 36 children with Chinese herbal medicine. There were 21 boys and 15 girls. At the end of the study, 8 cases were cured, 17 cases experienced marked improvement, and 9 cases experienced good or fair improvement. Thus, the total effectiveness rate was 94.44%.
A study conducted at the Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care in the University Hospital of Vienna revealed that over 70% of patients with long-standing asthma reported a significant improvement of their ailments after 10 weeks of acupuncture treatment.
Scientists at the Department of Acupuncture, Second Municipal People's Hospital, Kaifeng City, Henan Province studied 192 patients suffering from bronchial asthma , all of whom were treated by acupuncture on Kongzui (Lu 6) and Yuji (Lu 10). The results revealed that there was an immediate total effective rate of 98.9%, and interestingly, the rate of clinical remission dropped and there was a marked improvement in 76.5% of the patients.
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has estimated that nearly 5% of all Americans suffer from asthma an increase of over 60% since 1980. Acupuncture is basically holistic and treats the person rather than the disease or its symptoms. It attempts to secure a free flow of natural energy within the body along streams called meridians. Treatment for the same disease and the results can vary from patient to patient depending on several factors. This form of treatment does not have any side effects. It has been noted that most asthma patients reduced their intake of drugs and use of aerosol considerably once they started responding to acupuncture.
Links
Acupuncture for chronic asthma
Asthma and Acupuncture
Acupuncture Can Help Alleviate Asthma Symptoms
Treatment of Asthma with Herbs and Acupuncture
Acupuncture for Asthma
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