Acupuncture for COPD

Acupuncture Exeter: acupuncture for COPD. Researchers in the Department of Respiratory Medicine at a Japanese hospital, studying acupuncture for COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), have shown treatment is associated with improved exercise performance parameters. In the trial, 16 patients with COPD received acupuncture once a week for 12 weeks, in addition to any usual medication. The effects of treatment were evaluated at baseline and at 12, 16, and 24 weeks.

During the trial period, significant improvements were found. There were increases in peak oxygen uptake and minute ventilation during exercise tests. By 12 weeks, exercise endurance time was significantly increased, and oxygen uptake upon finishing the exercise session was significantly lower compared to baseline. There were also improvements in patients’ perceived exertion scores. The researchers conclude these findings indicate that acupuncture may be a new intervention for COPD, in addition to conventional maintenance therapies.

(Clinical Effects of Acupuncture on the Pathophysiological Mechanism of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease During Exercise. International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 5 December 2019.)

Author: Robin Costello

I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training. I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.