Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
www.pharmpress.com/fact
Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 1998; 3: 187
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture is a suitable treatment for complex chronic diseases such as bronchial asthma. We investigated immunological effects of Chinese acupuncture in a randomised, controlled study of patients with allergic asthma.
The immunological effects of acupuncture treatment given according to the rules of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM group, n = 19) were compared with those of a treatment to acupuncture points not specific for asthma (control group, n = 17). All patients were treated 12 times for 30 minutes over 4 weeks. Eosinophils, lymphocyte subpopulations and cytokines in the peripheral blood and the in-vitro lymphocyte proliferation rate were measured before and after acupuncture treatment. All data are means and were tested by the Wilcoxon test.
In the TCM group eosinophils decreased from 4.4% to 3.3% after acupuncture. Within the lymphocyte subpopulations CD3+ (p = 0.005) and CD4+ (p = 0.014) cells increased significantly after acupuncture. There were also significant changes in cytokine concentrations: IL 6 (p = 0.026) and IL-10 (p = 0.001) fell whereas IL-8 rose significantly (p = 0.050). Additionally the in-vitro lymphocyte proliferation rate increased significantly (p = 0.035). In the control group these variables showed no significant changes apart from an increase in CD4+ cells.
These results imply that acupuncture treatment given according to the rules of Traditional Chinese Medicine for allergic asthma has significant modulating effects on the immune systeme.
