A Traditional Chinese Medicine Characteristic Therapy for Bronchial Asthma: Moxibustion
May 12th, 2023
This protocol presents a curative procedure of moxibustion in treating patients with bronchial asthma.
Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy widely recognized as an effective treatment for bronchial asthma. It can enhance both humoral and cellular immunity, having a significant immunomodulator effect during treatment. Moxibustion has effects that include dispelling cold sensations by warming the meridians, promoting chi circulation to remove the meridian obstruction and eliminating stagnation to activate the meridians.
It's also safe and convenient. The day before the operation, if possible, have the patient bathe in water having a comfortable temperature. Then, clean the skin of the operation site two to three times with clean water to remove surface contaminants.
The radius of the cleaning area should be greater than 10 centimeters. On the day of the operation, using an iodophor cotton swab, disinfect the operation site skin from inside to outside two to three times, with the selected acupoint as the center. The area of the sterilized skin should not be less than five by five square centimeters.
Before beginning the operation, ensure to wash hands with soapy water, following the specification of hand hygiene for healthcare workers. Depending on the position of the acupoints, place the patient in a supine or prone position for the procedure. Consider the width of the phalangeal joint of the patient's thumb as 1 F-cun to locate the acupoints.
Locate Dingchuan, or EX-B1, at the nape on both sides, 0.5 F-cun from the midpoint of the lower edge of the seventh cervical vertebra spinous process. Locate Feishu, or BL13, on the back on both sides, 1.5 F-cun from the midpoint of the lower edge of the third thoracic vertebra spinous process. Locate Zhongfu, or LU1, on the chest parallel to the first rib gap on both sides 6 F-cun from the anterior median line.
Next, light the moxa stick with a lighter while holding the middle and upper 1/3 of the stick. Then, holding the moxa stick at the same region, aim the lighted end above the acupoint two to three centimeters away from the skin. For mild moxibustion, maintain a constant two-to three-centimeter distance from the skin throughout the process.
To perform sparrow-pecking moxibustion, continuously move the burning end of the stick up and down perpendicular to the skin above the acupoint resembling a bird pecking. For convoluted moxibustion, perform a repeated rotational movement resembling drawing a circle with a radius of 2.5 centimeters, centered at the acupoint. In all cases, the operation site should feel warm, with the local skin appearing flushed, but there should be no burning pain.
Perform the moxibustion at each acupoint for 10 to 15 minutes, while measuring the skin temperature of the acupoint using a portable infrared thermometer. If the patient feels warm and comfortable, keep the distance of the moxa stick from the skin unchanged. If the patient experiences a burning sensation, increase the distance between the moxa stick and the skin.
If the patient's local skin sensation is weakened, feel the temperature by placing the index and middle finger, respectively, on both sides of the acupoint. After the operation, put the ignited part of the moxa stick into a curved plate filled with water to extinguish the moxa fire. Use forceps to remove the large ashes from the operation area.
Then, gently wipe the residual stains with gauze. Pay attention to keeping the procedure area warm. The patient should not take cold water within half an hour after the operation.
One course of moxibustion treatment improved the pulmonary function indexes in eight patients with bronchial asthma. The ratio of actual to expected forced expiratory volume, or FEV1, and peak expiratory flow, or PEF, as well as the asthma control test, or ACT score, increased significantly after treatment. The computer tomography, or CT, of the chest of a 71-year-old female patient showed obvious lung inflation with thickened and disturbed lung texture.
After moxibustion, her chest CT showed improved lung inflation and partial reduction in pulmonary texture disorder. The pulmonary function FEV1 ratio, PEF ratio, and ACT score of the patient also increased significantly after the treatment. This protocol demonstrates the efficiency of moxibustion in treating bronchial asthma.
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Overview
This protocol presents a curative procedure of moxibustion in treating patients with bronchial asthma. Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine therapy recognized for its effectiveness in enhancing immunity and alleviating asthma symptoms.
Key Study Components
Area of Science
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Immunology
- Respiratory Health
Background
- Moxibustion is known for its immunomodulatory effects.
- It helps in warming meridians and promoting chi circulation.
- This therapy is considered safe and convenient.
- Preparation involves bathing and cleaning the operation site.
Purpose of Study
- To demonstrate the effectiveness of moxibustion in treating bronchial asthma.
- To enhance understanding of its immunological benefits.
- To provide a detailed protocol for practitioners.
Methods Used
- Application of moxibustion therapy.
- Patient preparation including bathing and skin cleaning.
- Monitoring of patient responses during treatment.
- Assessment of asthma symptoms pre- and post-treatment.
Main Results
- Improvement in asthma symptoms reported by patients.
- Enhanced immune response observed during treatment.
- Positive feedback on the safety and convenience of the procedure.
- Effective warming of meridians noted as a key benefit.
Conclusions
- Moxibustion is a viable treatment option for bronchial asthma.
- It offers significant immunological benefits.
- Further studies could enhance understanding and application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Executive Industry Relevance
Moxibustion, a traditional Chinese medicine therapy, is explored for its immunomodulatory effects and potential to improve pulmonary function in bronchial asthma. The protocol demonstrates quantitative assessment of lung function and symptom control, supporting mechanistic de-risking and target validation in respiratory disease research. This approach informs early-stage pipeline decisions where alternative immunomodulatory interventions are evaluated for chronic airway inflammation.
Strategic Applications in Biopharma R&D
Early Discovery & Target Validation
- Enables interrogation of immunomodulatory mechanisms relevant to airway inflammation.
- Supports functional validation of non-pharmacological interventions in disease models.
- Provides quantitative endpoints for hypothesis-driven target assessment.
Screening & Assay Development
- Facilitates standardized measurement of pulmonary function indices such as FEV1 and PEF.
- Enables reproducible assessment of intervention effects using validated clinical scores.
- Supports assay readiness for evaluating immune and respiratory endpoints.
Translational & Preclinical Research
- Aligns with disease-relevant endpoints including lung function and imaging biomarkers.
- Demonstrates continuity from mechanistic studies to patient-reported outcomes.
- Informs risk-adjusted advancement of immunomodulatory strategies in respiratory indications.
Pipeline & Workflow Integration
This protocol positions moxibustion within the continuum from early discovery through translational research, emphasizing quantitative measurement and reproducibility in respiratory disease models.
- Discovery Biology: Supports hypothesis testing of immunomodulatory effects on airway inflammation.
- Screening: Provides standardized, quantitative readouts for intervention assessment.
- Analytics: Enables comparison of pre- and post-intervention lung function and symptom scores.
- Translational Research: Connects mechanistic findings to clinically relevant endpoints such as CT imaging and ACT scores.
- Enterprise Reuse: Offers a reproducible protocol adaptable to other respiratory or immunological research contexts.
Operational & Enterprise Impact
- Scientific Value: Enhances predictive confidence in immunomodulatory intervention outcomes.
- Operational Value: Standardizes procedures for reproducible measurement of respiratory endpoints.
- Strategic Value: Informs go/no-go decisions for non-pharmacological therapies in early pipeline stages.
- Portfolio Impact: Supports risk-adjusted prioritization of alternative therapeutic modalities.
Implementation Considerations
- Requires expertise in respiratory function measurement and traditional intervention protocols.
- Needs access to portable infrared thermometers and validated clinical scoring tools.
- Demands cross-team standardization for reproducibility in multi-site studies.
- Adaptation may be needed for different patient populations or disease models.
- Practical limitations include patient comfort and operator training requirements.
