A Case of Successful Acupuncture Emphysema with Bronchial Asthma
10.3937/kampomed.56.567
- VernacularTitle:はり治療が有効であった気管支ぜん息を合併した肺気腫の一症例
- Author:
Masao SUZUKI
;
Yasushi OHNO
;
Seigou AKAO
;
Masato EGAWA
;
Toshihiro ASAI
;
Tadashi YANO
;
Hisayoshi FUJIWARA
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
bronchial asthma;
emphysema;
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);
acupuncture treatment;
dyspnea;
respiratory function
- From:Kampo Medicine
2005;56(4):567-575
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
-
Abstract:
Emphysema with bronchial asthma (BA) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes severe respiratory dysfunction and severely limits a patient's daily activities. This paper reports the case of a COPD patient whose respiratory symptoms were successfully improved with acupuncture. In July 1998, a 69-year-old male visited the Department of Respiratory Internal Medicine at Gifu University Hospital, complaining of dyspnea on exercise, and asthma attacks. His general condition had worsened despite strictly controlled medication and home oxygen therapy (HOT). Acupuncture was thus added to these treatments from ******. Before initiating the acupuncture treatment, the severity of dyspnea in the patient was diagnosed as level III (Severe), according to the GOLD classification. Spirometry showed severely disturbed respiratory function (%VC: 90.7%, FEV1%: 35.1%, %FEV1: 38.2%, V 25: 0.20 L/S). The basic combination of meridian points used in this case included LU 1 (Zhongfu), LU 5 (Chize), LU 9 (Taiyan), CV 4 (Guanyuan), CV 12 (Zhongwan), CV 22 (Tiantu), ST 40 (Fenglong), BL 13 (Feishu), BL 23 (Shenshu) and KI 3 (Fuliu). The patient received acupuncture treatments once a week for 10 weeks. Respiratory function and symptoms were measured. After 10 weeks of acupuncture treatment, asthma attacks, walking distance, the Borg scale and respiratory functions were significantly improved compared with the baseline. This suggests that acupuncture treatment was effective in treating advanced cases of both asthma and COPD.
