Acupuncture for Asthma

How Chinese medicine understands asthma

In classical Chinese medicine, wheezing is called Xiao Chuan: wheezing and breathlessness. A central idea is “hidden phlegm” lodged in the Lung. It sits there quietly until something, such as a cold, cold air, pollen or stress, stirs it up and it blocks the airway.

Treatment differs between an active flare and the quieter spells between them. The common patterns are:

• Cold phlegm. Wheezing with thin, white, frothy phlegm, worse in cold weather, with a feeling of cold.
• Hot phlegm. Wheezing with thick, yellow, sticky phlegm, a feeling of heat, and sometimes thirst.
• Lung Qi deficiency. Between flares: shortness of breath on effort, catching colds easily, sweating easily, and a soft voice.
• Spleen Qi deficiency. Poor appetite, tiredness, loose stools and a tendency to phlegm. In this view, weak digestion makes the phlegm that ends up in the Lung.
• Kidney deficiency. Long-standing asthma in which breathing in feels harder than breathing out, often with a weak back and tiredness.

Flares are treated by clearing phlegm and calming the breathing. Between flares, the focus shifts to building up the Lung, Spleen or Kidney.

What treatment involves

Treatment is support alongside your family doctor or respirologist, never a replacement for their care. Keep taking every inhaler and medicine exactly as prescribed, and keep your asthma action plan up to date.

The first visit includes a lot of questions: what sets off your asthma, how often you use your rescue inhaler, night symptoms, allergies, digestion, energy and sleep. I also look at your tongue and take your pulse. Bring a list of your medicines.

Acupuncture points are commonly chosen on the upper back between the shoulder blades, the chest, the arms and the legs, with others chosen for your pattern. The aim is to support easier breathing and your general resilience. Treatment is usually given when your asthma is stable, not during an attack.

Chinese cupping on the upper back may be used to ease tight muscles around the ribs and shoulders, which often tense up with laboured breathing. Chinese herbal medicine can be added, with a formula written for your pattern and dispensed at the clinic. Tell your doctor and pharmacist about any herbs you take.

The clinic is in Keswick. Plan on 5–10 treatments to judge progress. Research on acupuncture for asthma is still developing.

Between visits

• Take your controller inhaler every day as prescribed, even when you feel well.
• Carry your rescue inhaler everywhere, and check that it is not empty or expired.
• Follow your written asthma action plan. If you do not have one, ask your doctor.
• Know and reduce your triggers, such as smoke, dust mites, pet dander, mould and cold air. A scarf over your mouth helps in winter.
• Get your flu shot and other vaccines your doctor recommends, since chest infections are a common trigger.

When to see your doctor first

Never stop prescribed inhalers or other asthma medicines. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if:

• Your rescue inhaler is not helping, or you need it again within a few hours.
• You are too breathless to speak in full sentences, or to walk.
• Your lips or fingernails look blue or grey.
• You feel drowsy, confused or exhausted from breathing.

See your doctor soon if:

• You need your rescue inhaler more than twice a week, or wake at night with asthma.
• You have wheezing or breathlessness that has never been diagnosed. Other heart and lung problems need to be ruled out.
• You have a fever, chest pain, or coloured phlegm that does not clear.