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Updated: May 23, 2025
A Traditional Chinese Medicine Characteristic Therapy for Bronchial Asthma: Moxibustion
Published on: May 12, 2023
Acupuncture with Moxibustion at Conception Vessel 17 on Pulmonary Functions in Patients with Asthma: A Randomized
Background:
Acupuncture and moxibustion are used worldwide for treating various diseases including asthma. Conception Vessel 17 (CV-17) is the influential point for the respiratory tissues. It is commonly used in the management of asthma. However, there are no known studies that report the effect of needling with moxibustion at CV-17 alone in asthma patients. Thus, this study aimed to examine the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion at CV-17 on pulmonary functions in asthma patients.
Materials And Methods:
In this randomized placebo-controlled study, a total of sixty participants with asthma were recruited from a medical college and hospital located in Chennai, India. All the recruited participants were randomly assigned to either the acupuncture with moxibustion group (AMG) or placebo control group (PCG). AMG received needling with moxibustion at the CV-17 acupuncture point, while PCG received needling with moxibustion at a non-acupuncture point for 20 minutes once a day, daily for 2 weeks.
Results:
Within-group analysis showed a significant increase in forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in 1s (FEV1), FEV1/FVC ratio, forced expiratory flow (FEF)25-75%, and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) in AMG, whereas PCG showed a significant increase in only FEV1, FEV1/FVC ratio, and FEF25-75%. Furthermore, the increase in FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, and PEFR were greater in AMG than PCG. None of the participants reported any serious adverse effects during the study period.
Conclusion:
Two weeks of needling with moxibustion at CV-17 improved pulmonary functions better than needling with moxibustion at a non-acupuncture point in asthma patients.
