A 53-year-old woman came to our clinic complaining of asthma, chronic cough, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping, all stemming from having Covid. She had asthma previous to Covid, but the virus brought on a severe cough which aggravated her asthma. In addition, the constant coughing kept her up at night, causing fatigue from lack of sleep. This asthma acupuncture success story describes how acupuncture reduced her cough and eased her asthma, which led to better energy and improved sleep.
Covid, Asthma, and Coughing
Covid is double trouble for people with asthma – it brings on a serious cough and exacerbates asthma with increased shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, wheezing, and chest tightness. If you have asthma, make sure to follow the CDC Asthma Action Plan. Our patient in this asthma acupuncture success story weathered Covid remarkably well, all things considered, and avoided hospitalization. She was sick for about five weeks and managed with medications and her inhaler.
After her recovery from Covid, she had a stubborn chronic cough with phlegm from her lungs, as well as constant wheezing and shortness of breath. Covid had weakened her lungs to the point she was not able to heal fully. That’s when a friend suggested she try acupuncture to help strengthen her lungs and resolve the persistent coughing.
Asthma Acupuncture Success Story
Our treatment began by transforming and expelling the phlegm that was constantly accumulating in her lungs. We prescribed a Chinese herbal formula that excelled at stopping cough, resolving phlegm, and strengthening the lungs, including Ban Xia, Gua Lou, and Huang Qin. In addition, we treated her with acupuncture points LU5, LU9, ST36, and ST40, which also alleviated lung congestion while strengthening her breath capacity.
After three treatments, her cough was 40 percent reduced, with improved breathing. She was thrilled with the results, as nothing until then had helped her condition. With each acupuncture treatment, her breathing continued to improve, with less cough and reduced reliance on an inhaler. Finally, after ten treatments, she felt healthy again and returned to her regular daily activities.
The results of this asthma acupuncture success story are not uncommon in our acupuncture clinic. We have been successfully treating patients with asthma for years. Acupuncture cannot cure asthma, but it improves lung function, reduces wheezing and cough, and improves energy.
How Does Acupuncture Heal The Lungs?
Asthma patients have two significant issues from a Chinese medicine perspective. First, they are unable to take deep breaths, restricting their air intake. Without proper inhalation, the body cannot generate energy (Qi), resulting in weakness and fatigue. Second, asthma patients accumulate phlegm in the lungs, hampering the organ’s ability to oxygenate the blood.
Acupuncture strengthens the lung organs while nourishing the kidneys – the kidneys draw energy downward, enabling the patient to inhale deeper. This combination of boosting lung and kidney function plays a dramatic role in improving asthma. At the same time, acupuncture powerfully transforms phlegm in the body with acupuncture points ST30 and ST40 – and works particularly well with phlegm in the lungs when we add acupoint LU5 to the treatment.
Acupuncture & Long Covid
At Raleigh Acupuncture, we have seen many patients presenting with Long Covid symptoms, including fatigue, achy joints and muscles, foggy thinking, poor concentration, and digestive distress. Many of these symptoms mimic autoimmune disease, and in fact, researchers are discovering that the Covid virus may damage the immune system, causing the body to generate an inflammatory response.
Acupuncture quiets an over-active immune system, reducing inflammation as it restores balance to organ systems in the body. Not surprisingly, acupuncture is effective in treating Long Covid symptoms. For example, we used this strategy to treat the patient in the asthma acupuncture success story.
Next Steps
BOOK NOW to schedule an appointment online.
Watch Video About Our Asthma Treatment.
Learn about all the conditions we treat.
What our Clients are Saying
My treatments for asthma at Raleigh Acupuncture were successful. I’ve had asthma my whole life. It was typically triggered when I played sports or physically exerted myself. I was using an inhaler (Advair) for years, but wanted to try acupuncture to see if I could stop using it.
My research on acupuncture treating asthma showed mixed results, but the doctor at the acupuncture office encouraged me to try their treatment. I received 12 treatments total. After the first six treatments I was noticing a positive difference. I didn’t have to use my inhaler as often. After the 12 visits I was needing the inhaler even less frequently.
I can tell that my lungs are stronger now. I get less winded, wheeze much less frequently, and have more stamina. I will continue the acupuncture on a maintenance basis to keep up the benefits. I recommend them for treating asthma.
