Long-term efficacy of point application therapy on different acupoints and durations in the treatment of asthma: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: To optimise point application therapy for the treatment of asthma.METHODS: A total of 456 patients with asthma were randomly divided into treatment groups 1, 2, and 3, with 152 patients each. The Dazhui (GV14), Feishu (BL13), Xinshu (BL15), Geshu (BL17), Pishu (BL20), Shenshu (BL23), and Guanyuan (CV4) acupoints were selected for treatment groups 1 and 2, with 2 and 4 h of application, respectively. The Feishu (BL13), Xinshu (BL15), and Geshu (BL17) acupoints were selected in group 3, with 2 h of application. All patients underwent application of the "prevention of disease" plaster during the dog days of summer (approximately July and August each year) between 2015 and 2019.RESULTS: The analysis showed that the numbers of asthma attacks and total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels of the three groups after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment. In addition, the reductions in treatment groups 1 and 2 were more significant than those in group 3. The total treatment efficacy rates and post-treatment quality of life scores of the patients in treatment groups 1 and 2 were significantly higher than those in group 3. CONCLUSIONS: Point application therapy can effectively improve the clinical symptoms of patients with asthma, reduce the number of attacks, improve the quality of life, and decrease the total serum IgE level. The choice of acupuncture points, but not the length of the application time, influenced the therapeutic effect of point application therapy in asthma.