Acupuncture is one of the ancient Chinese health therapy methods that has been passed down to the present day. Acupuncture stimulates the acupoints of the body through needle puncture, promoting blood circulation, clearing the meridians, and relieving fatigue. Today, I will introduce another benefit of acupuncture, which is its ability to treat diseases. Let's take a look at the specific introduction below.
Acupuncture treatment for bronchial asthma
Bronchial asthma is a common, episodic allergic lung disease. It is a widespread airway narrowing disease caused by allergens or other factors under a high reactivity state of the bronchus.
The clinical features of bronchial asthma include episodic chest tightness, coughing, wheezing, and expiratory dyspnea with wheezing sounds. It can resolve spontaneously or after treatment. It is more common in winter and improves in summer. It can occur at any age, but it is more common in children under 12 years old, with a higher incidence before the age of 3. The disease can recur, and in severe cases, it can be complicated by obstructive emphysema, lung collapse, or pneumothorax. Bronchial asthma is commonly known as "asthma" or "whistling disease." According to its clinical manifestations, this disease belongs to the scope of traditional Chinese medicine "panting syndrome," "wheezing syndrome," and "phlegm syndrome."
Etiology and Pathogenesis
According to traditional Chinese medicine, asthma attacks are related to the lung, spleen, and kidney. They are mostly caused by hidden phlegm-dampness, invasion of wind and cold into the lungs, phlegm stagnation, and failure of the lungs to descend and disperse. As asthma persists, the kidney qi becomes deficient, leading to symptoms of kidney qi failure or upper excess and lower deficiency.
Diagnosis and Syndrome Differentiation
(1) Diagnosis
The patient has a history of recurrent asthma symptoms, diffuse wheezing sounds in the lungs during attacks, and normal lung signs after attacks.
(2) Syndrome Differentiation
(1) Excess Syndrome (acute phase): High-pitched and rough wheezing sounds, deep and long breaths, rapid exhalation, strong constitution, and strong pulses. There may also be coughing, wheezing, thin and watery phlegm, aversion to cold, no sweating, headache, no thirst, thin white coating on the tongue, and floating and tight pulses, indicating invasion of wind and cold. Other symptoms may include thick phlegm in the cough, chest distress, chest and rib pain caused by coughing, or symptoms of heat obstructing the lungs, such as fever, thirst, poor appetite, constipation, yellow and greasy coating on the tongue, and slippery and rapid pulses.
(2) Deficiency Syndrome (remission phase): Low-pitched and weak wheezing sounds, shortness of breath, weak constitution, and weak pulses. There may also be shortness of breath, wheezing in the throat, weak speech, clear and watery phlegm, sweating with movement, pale tongue, and weak pulses, indicating deficiency of lung qi. Other symptoms may include shortness of breath worsening with movement, excessive wheezing, cold limbs with sweating, pale tongue, and deep pulses, indicating deficiency of lung and kidney.
Treatment
(1) Basic treatment
1. Excess Syndrome
Treatment principle: Relieve wheezing and reverse the counterflow, and promote lung function and phlegm elimination.
