With over 260 million people affected by asthma, it is one of the most common chronic diseases around the world. This may also make it easy to lose hope – am I really going to be stuck like this forever? Fortunately, choosing acupuncture for asthma relief can provide you with significant relief. This is why Dr. Vadim Dekhtyar, DACM sees many patients with asthma at Life Balance Clinic, who were searching for the best acupuncture clinic near them.
Symptoms of Asthma
The typical symptoms of asthma are wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing, which is often worse at night. They also include poor cardio fitness and low lung capacity, with asthma symptoms often being triggered by exercise and continuing up to an hour afterwards.
Other common triggers are air pollution, respiratory infections, cold air, or allergens such as dust mites and pollen. It is best to avoid any triggers you know of whenever possible, as asthma can damage your lungs over time. This is known as airway remodelling, as the airways do not break down, but instead rebuild in ways that negatively affect their structure and function.
Can Acupuncture Help with Asthma?
Acupuncture for asthma can help reduce symptom severity, and potentially prevent tissue damage over time.
One review of studies found that acupuncture may significantly relieve symptoms such as cough and a feeling of pressure in the diaphragm. Even better, lung function test scores improved, including air volume and vital capacity. Measurements of inflammatory markers that contribute to immediate symptoms and airway damage dropped, too.
Acupuncture can help regulate immune cell counts, control the stress response, reduce antibodies and inflammatory immune signals, and prevent airway remodelling. Points such as ST 36, BL 13, and GV 14 may control numbers of immune cells that contribute to harmful remodelling, for example, while giving you symptomatic relief.
Benefits of Acupuncture for Asthma
Acupuncture may be among the best treatments for asthma in Chicago. Its short- and long-term benefits include:
- Reduced reliance on rescue medication such as inhalers.
- Improved lung capacity, so you can enjoy better cardio fitness and capacity for physical activity.
- Reduced anxiety around the risk of asthma attacks.
- The potential for the prevention of airway remodelling, which leads to chronic loss of lung function.
What to Expect During Acupuncture Treatment
Acupuncture treatment starts with taking a detailed case of your situation, such as whether you need remedies for allergic asthma, or asthma triggered by stress, pollution, mold, or infection. Although it centers around acupuncture, your treatment plan may also involve dietary and lifestyle advice aimed at avoiding triggers.
Your acupuncture sessions may use both local and distant points to balance your immune system and support healthy tissue maintenance and repair. Dr. Vadim Dekhtyar, DACM may schedule these once or twice a week for several weeks, and then space them out until you reach your goals. Acupuncture should not hurt, but you may feel a tingling sensation (de qi) at certain points in time.
Acupuncture for Asthma at Life Balance Clinic
At Life Balance Clinic, Dr. Vadim Dekhtyar, DACM tailors your treatment to suit your individual needs. With over 30 years of experience across a range of inflammatory and other conditions, you can be assured of a customized plan for asthma treatment using Chinese medicine.
To book an appointment or ask further questions, call (847) 724-1777 or fill out a contact form to the right.