Acupuncture with Medication Promising for COPD Treatment: Study Finds

The study, published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine, found that combining acupuncture with conventional drug treatment led to significant improvements in exercise capacity, quality of life, and breathlessness reduction compared to using either approach alone.

COPD, a progressive lung disease that causes breathing difficulties, is typically managed with medications such as bronchodilators and corticosteroids. However, the researchers note that many patients experience persistent symptoms that impact their daily lives. Acupuncture has shown therapeutic benefits for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but its effectiveness compared to medications remains unclear.

Considering this, Jiansheng Li, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan, China, and colleagues aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture, conventional drugs, and their combination in treating COPD.

For this purpose, the researchers conducted a multicenter, open-label randomized controlled trial using a central randomization system. A total of 150 COPD patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive either acupuncture, conventional drug treatment, or a combination of both for 12 weeks, followed by a 12-week observation period without treatment. The primary outcomes measured were the six-minute walk distance (6MWD) and St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), while secondary outcomes included the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale, acute exacerbations, lung function, and quality of life assessed through the COPD Assessment Test.

The following were the key findings of the study:

• The study included one-fifty patients, with 143 completing the trial.
• There were significant time, group, and interaction effects among the three groups.
• The acupuncture plus conventional drug group showed a significant increase in six-minute walk distance (6MWD) at 4, 8, and 12 weeks of treatment, as well as at 12 weeks of follow-up, compared to the conventional drug group.
• Symptom scores, motor scores, impact scores, and total St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) scores changed over time across all groups, showing a time effect. However, there was no significant group or interaction effect.
• Among secondary outcomes, time effects were observed in the number of acute exacerbations, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and the FEV1/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) ratio across all groups.
• The modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale showed time and group effects.
• The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) demonstrated significant time, group, and interaction effects.

"The study findings align with expectations, showing that combining acupuncture with conventional drug treatment is more effective than using either approach alone for managing stable COPD. This combination improves exercise capacity, enhances quality of life, and reduces breathlessness while being a safe and well-tolerated complementary treatment," the researchers wrote.

"These results highlight the potential of acupuncture as an adjunct therapy and encourage further research on its benefits in COPD management," they concluded.

Reference:

Li, J., Xie, Y., Wang, Y., Wu, L., Yu, X., Bai, L., Shao, S., Zhou, M., Zhang, M., Yu, X., Han, W., Li, X., & Chen, T. (2025). Effect of acupuncture on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A multicenter randomized controlled trial. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 89, 103146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2025.103146