Electronic Acupuncture and Asthma

Electronic acupuncture was first experimented with in China around 1934. It is currently mentioned in most acupuncture texts although usually only briefly. The idea behind electronic acupuncture is to provide additional stimulation to the acupuncture points through the application of very small currents of electricity applied directly to the inserted needles. Often the practitioner will stimulate the qi by twisting the needles and withdrawing and reinserting them. The electrical stimulation replaces this procedure. The advantage is that it reduces the fatigue of the practitioner and allows him to treat multiple patients at the same time.

The drawback of the procedure is that there is some danger when any kind of electrical current is introduced to the body. Most acupuncturists will not use electro stimulation on points near the heart or around the spine area for this reason. Also, there is an exact feeling for the reaction of qi that is felt by the experienced practitioner. He can feel the ebb and flow as he manipulates the needle. This sensitivity is loss with the use of electro stimulation.

Asthma is a chronic condition of the respiratory system. It causes an inflammation in the air passages of the lungs and throat. When the condition is in an acute condition, known as an asthma attack, the inflammation causes the air passages to shrink. This causes difficulty in breathing and other symptoms including panic. There is no cure for asthma and patients suffering from it can only hope to manage the symptoms and lessen the severity of the attacks.

Acupuncture offers many treatments for asthma. The treatment is complex and the diagnosis is never simple. Of course, Traditional Chinese Medicine does not recognize the condition as merely asthma. In the Eastern discipline, asthma is a symptom not a condition. There are many causes for the disharmony within the body that leads to asthma. Each of these causes requires a special course of treatment.

Some recent clinical studies have been done on the use of electronic acupuncture for asthma. Although the tests results showed some very positive improvements in the bronchial areas, the tests were performed on rats. It is wondered if the testers were searching for something that is not really there. Electronic acupuncture can be used to aid many of the traditional acupuncture treatments including those for certain asthma symptoms. The point is that it is not a different or new form of treatment, but merely another tool in a process that is thousands of years old.