1Graduate Program in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY, ²Sound Shore Medical Center, New Rochelle, NY, and ³Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a long history of treating many disorders classified in Western Medicine as having an immunologically-mediated pathogenesis. This includes Type I hypersensitivities, immunoglobulin E (IgE) triggered allergies, such as asthma and allergic rhinitis. Additionally, TCM has long recognized that certain points may have great impact in potentiating immune function. The present preliminary studies were undertaken to investigate (1) the efficacy of acupuncture in ameliorating the symptoms of atopic asthma and allergic rhinitis and in enhancing immune function in normal individuals; (2) whether the efficacy of acupuncture may be associated with modulation of immune activity as indicated by immunoglobulin titers.

In the first study, 11 individuals diagnosed with either asthma (n=5), or allergic rhinitis (n=6) were recruited and treated at Sound Shore Medical Center. A diagnosis of at least 6 months for rhinitis, and a positive skin test for atopy, in asthmatics, were required to participate in the study. Smoking and pregnancy were exclusionary. Participants included 8 females and 3 males, aged 19-65 years. Sera for analysis of IgE titers were collected from participants by venupuncture prior to initiation of treatment and immediately after the last treatment. The acupuncture treatment was twice-weekly, at a minimum interval of 24-hrs, for five weeks, for a total of ten treatments. Acupuncture points common to both populations included: UB12, UB13, UB20, UB23, SP6, and K3. In addition, specific points for asthma or allergic rhinitis were used. Rhinitis patients reported significant (p<0.05) alleviation of allergic attacks and symptoms as measured by a range scale from 1-10 (1=no symptoms; 10=severe). Serum IgE levels, measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), showed a marked, but not statistically significant, decline between pre-treatment levels and those measured following the last treatment. Similarly, in asthmatics, there was a pronounced decline in serum IgE, which was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05) for those participants identified as yin-deficient (3 of 5). This preliminary study of Type I hypersensitivity patients, although not conclusive, is suggestive of a relationship between acupuncture treatment and a decline in IgE levels which may explain, in part, the success in alleviating allergic symptoms. These studies are currently being expanded to larger cohorts of subjects and will incorporate objective measures of respiratory function.

The second of the studies was undertaken to investigate the effect of stimulating ST36 Zusanli, the point reported to have profound immunomodulating activity. 10 subjects (26-41 years; 4 females and 6 males), were recruited from the professional staff of Sound Shore Medical Center, who had no history of allergies, current infections, drug use, or other acupuncture treatments within 30 days of study initiation. Subjects were randomly assigned to two groups, those that would receive acupuncture, and those treated with a placebo needle (Streitberger and Kleinhenz, 1998, The Lancet, 352:364-365). Sera for analysis of IgG and IgM were collected 9 and 2 days prior to a single 25-min treatment, and 24 and 48 hrs post-treatment. In addition, complete blood counts (CBC), including differentials of subjects' blood were performed at these time periods. Lymphocyte counts were elevated at 48 hrs in 4 of 6 subjects where Zusanli was stimulated, whereas monocyte counts were significantly higher (p<0.02) compared to pre-treatment. There were no significant changes in cell counts of subjects treated with the placebo needle. IgM, the immunoglobulin associated with primary challenge, significantly increased (p<0.05) at 24 hrs following acupuncture treatment, but not after placebo treatment. IgG levels did not change in either group. This preliminary study suggests that stimulation of zusanli may potentiate acquired specific immune parameters and demonstrates the potential of acupuncture as an effective modality for immunomodulation.

(Supported in part by NIH HD35965 at Mercy College).