Bronchial Asthma & Medical Acupuncture

Bronchial Asthma: What is it?

Bronchial Asthma or Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by bronchial hyperreactivity and a variable degree of airway obstruction.

Nowadays, Asthma is a particularly common respiratory system condition affecting more than 10% of the population worldwide.

About 2.500 years ago, Greek physician Hippocrates used the term “Asthma” to describe the clinical picture of Dyspnea. One may distinguish between allergic and non-allergic Asthma. Thanks to contemporary medications, this condition can be controlled to a satisfactory degree for most patients who have been affected, so that the symptoms occur solely occasionally and life-threatening asthma attacks do not occur.  However, there is currently no treatment for permanently treating Asthma and only its symptoms can be controlled.

Even though Bronchial Asthma has been known for a long time, it still remains a mystery to science.  The aim of many scientists around the world is to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of Asthma development and use this knowledge so as to develop new, more effective treatments. For some people, Asthma is a minor inconvenience whereas for others, an Asthma attack may be a huge problem that interferes in daily life and activities and potentially be a threat for one’s life.    

Since Asthma frequently changes over time, it is important that the patient and the physician work together so as to monitor the signs and symptoms and adjust the treatment as needed.

Bronchial Asthma: Causes

Asthma is caused by a combination of complex and not fully understood environmental and genetic reactions. These reactions affect the severity as well as patient’s response to treatment. It is believed that the recent increased percentage of Asthma cases is due to the change of epigenetics (hereditary factors) and to a ever changing living environment. Asthma which emerges before the age of 12 is more likely due to genetic influence whereas the onset after the age of 12 is more likely due to environmental influence.

Bronchial Asthma: Which are the symptoms?

The symptoms of Asthma vary from person to person. There may be rare Asthma attacks or symptoms appearing only in specific times, such as while exercising, or symptoms emerging in a frequent or stable basis.

The signs and symptoms of Asthma include:

• difficulty in breathing (dyspnea)
• tightness in chest (tight chest) or chest pain while breathing
• wheezing while breathing out, a common sign among children
• sleep problems caused by dyspnea, cough or wheezing
• intense cough or wheezing that deteriorates by a cold or a flu.

Bronchial Asthma: Treatment with Medical Acupuncture

Acupuncture is effective in Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

The effect of Acupuncture in bronchus is actually multiple:

• similar to that of medications which cause bronchial dilation
• action of reducing bronchial secretions
• anti-inflammatory action through cortisol production
• suppression of anxiety that has a deteriorating effect and leads to the aggravation of patient’s pathology.

Bronchial Asthma and Medical Acupuncture

Medical Acupuncture (Acupuncture exercised by Doctors) is particularly indicated for the prevention of Asthma relapses thus being suitable for patients who desire to find, in the long term, a complementary solution to medication or to lead to a significant reduction of medication dosage. The favorable effect in the immune system also assists in preventing infectious exacerbations of Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Moreover, the effect in the immune system explains the Acupuncture effectiveness in preventing seasonal infections such as rhinitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis and bronchitis. It is also indicated for children, using moxa which do not demand the use of needles. With this technique, it is possible to effectively prevent pharyngeal tonsillitis, sinusitis and recurrent bronchitis in young people.