Can Acupuncture Help Treat Asthma?
Can Acupuncture Help Treat Asthma? Answer: Despite its increased popularity and widespread use for a variety of reasons, most studies do not support the benefit of acupuncture for the treatment of asthma. Acupuncture is a part of traditional Chinese medicine and has been tried for many chronic diseases, including various allergic diseases such as asthma. The process involves inserting needles into the skin at exact points on the body, which is supposed to restore the balance of vital flows. Most studies on acupuncture used to treat asthma are poorly designed, and not up to modern-day scientific standards. Many studies on acupuncture for asthma fail to use a control (a placebo, or fake treatment) group, and the investigators are often not blinded, meaning the researchers know who is getting the real treatment and who is getting a placebo treatment, and therefore they may be biased as to the outcome. When control groups are used, a fake form of acupuncture is administered; there has been
