If you’ve never tried acupuncture, you’ve still probably heard people swear by it. For allergies, for pain, for chronic diseases that weren’t ever properly diagnosed. And every now and then, a study comes out, showing how acupuncture is an alternative treatment that medicine is willing to legitimize, at least a little bit.
This week a small study was published showing that COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) patients faired better when they received acupuncture than those that got a placebo. They were able to walk longer, eat better (eating can become difficult with COPD) and generally reported an improved quality of life.
There are many explanations for how acupuncture works: it triggers your immune system to notice a problem, it relaxes muscles, or (within the practice) it opens up energy pathways.
The COPD patients in the study continued their western medications/treatments, and it’s usually recommended that alternative treatments be used to complicated traditional ones. (Acupuncture could probably also be used to ease many of the unwanted side-effects, as well).
COPD can be a result of lifelong smoking. Coneniently, acupuncture is also commonly used to help kick the habit, so this could be a great way to hit two birds with one stone!
Have you tried acupuncture? Did it work?
