Acupoint Application as a Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment for Fatigue Associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Summary

This protocol describes the specific process and efficacy of acupoint application in treating fatigue symptoms associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and progressive airflow obstruction. Research has found that the prevalence of COPD is high and continues to rise globally and regionally. COPD has now become a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Fatigue is a subjective discomfort of the body and weakness that is closely related to physical and mental state and is a common symptom in patients with COPD. Fatigue can lead to limitations in daily functioning and decreased health-related quality of life, which in turn can severely affect the prognosis of COPD. At present, pulmonary rehabilitation is the main non-drug treatment for COPD fatigue, but patient compliance and participation are insufficient, the long-term maintenance effect is limited, and economic and time costs are high, so it is important to seek safer and more effective treatments. Acupoint application (AA), as one of the classic external treatment methods in traditional Chinese medicine, is characterized by its minimal side effects, ease of operation and dissemination, multi-target synergistic effects, and low economic costs. Preliminary findings show their role in improving the clinical symptoms of fatigue in COPD.This study will provide a detailed presentation of the process of using AA therapy to treat COPD and the observed trends, aiming to offer a reference for non-pharmacological treatment approaches.

Introduction

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous chronic respiratory disease characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation due to airway and/or alveolar abnormalities¹, which primarily results in symptoms such as dyspnea, cough², sputum production, and fatigue^1,3. COPD is a common respiratory disease associated with higher morbidity and mortality rates⁴, and it is prone to causing pulmonary hypertension, leading to clinical deterioration^5,6.....

Protocol

This research protocol was reviewed and approved by the Clinical Research Approval Committee of the Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2024-09-30-02). Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects.

1. Research design

1. Assign patients with COPD-related fatigue (n = 12) to a randomized controlled trial design. Predetermine sequential numbers for all 12 patients, generate random numbers using the random number table method, and divide the subjects into an experimental group (6 cases; receiving conventional treatment combined with AA) and a control group (6 cases; only receiving....

Results

In this study, a total of 12 patients who met the criteria participated in and completed the trial, including the experimental group (6) and the control group (6), none of whom were discharged or excluded during the process. The 6MWT before and after treatment, as well as the MFI-20 and CAT, were measured in the same way for patients in the experimental and control groups. The 6MWT requires patients to walk as quickly as possible in a straight corridor for 6 min to assess their functional exercise capacity

Discussion

This study uses traditional Chinese medicine external treatment methods, acupoint application, to explore the operation and clinical efficacy in treating related fatigue symptoms in patients with COPD. In this study, AA, a traditional Chinese medicine treatment method, was used to investigate the operation and clinical efficacy of the treatment of fatigue symptoms associated with COPD patients. COPD-related fatigue is the result of low lung function and poor health³⁵, which affects their quality o.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
75% alcohol cotton balls	Qingdao Hainuo Bioengineering CoLtd
80 mesh sieve	Anping County Jiufeng Metal Wire Mesh Manufacturing Co., Ltd.	J2025070101
Acupoint application	Jiangsu Guangyi Medical Dressing CoLtd	20241005
Adhesive tape	Minnesota Mining Manufacturing Medical Devices (Shanghai) CoLtd	2406GA0
Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bunge	Sichuan Guoqiang Traditional Chinese Medicine Co., Ltd.	230401
Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz.	Kangmei Century Traditional Chinese Medicine Co., Ltd.	241100179
Cotton swab	Chengdu Zhongxin Sanitary Materials CoLtd	20250120
Disposable Medical Rubber Gloves	Shanghai Colback Medical Latex Equipment CoLtd	240811HS
Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Ten. ex Breitenb.	Chengdu Ji An Kang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.	240918-71
Quick-drying hand sanitizer	Shandong Lierkang Medical Technology CoLtd	20241009B
Sinapis alba L.	Sichuan Guoqiang Traditional Chinese Medicine Co., Ltd.	221201
Tetradium ruticarpum (A. Juss.) T. G. Hartley	Sichuan Jinlin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.	241001
Therapeutic towel	Sichuan Hualikang Medical Technology CoLtd	25030702
Tongue depressor	Yangzhou Xiaokang Medical Equipment CoLtd	20240708
Treatment bowl	Yuekang Hardware and Medical Equipment FactoryCaitang TownChao'an DistrictChaozhou City
Tweezers	Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer Products CoLtd	20250201
Ultra-micro pulverizer	Ruian City Kangyuan Pharmaceutical Machinery Co., Ltd.