Acupuncture is used the world over in the treatment of asthma. This use of acupuncture is confirmed by many clinical and experimental studies. Only a few of these studies, however, satisfy the strict criteria of medical documentation demanded in Western countries. In a report from an expert committee to WHO in 1994 the need for double blind, single blind and randomized studies was emphasized. At the Baltic Congress of Acupuncture in Riga 1998 Professor Nezabudkin presented a large study comprising more than 600 cases of asthma at a university hospital in St. Petersburg, satisfying these strict scientific criteria and documenting the efficacy of acupuncture in asthma. So far, however, this study is available only in Russian.
In the treatment of children it is preferable to avoid the use of needles. Soft laser acupuncture was first developed by professor V. Injushin in Alma Ata in the early 1970’s and is now used in eastern Europe, China and many other countries. At an international acupuncture congress in Paris in 1990 Dr. Grubor presented a study from a university clinic in Sarajevo, comprising 138 children suffering from asthma treated by soft laser acupuncture. 72 of these were treated with an infrared Gallium Arsenicum laser of 6 mW, and 66 with a red Helium-Neon laser of 4 mW. Traditional Chinese acupuncture points were used. Each point was irradiated for 20-30 seconds, and the treatment was given in two series of 10 daily treatments each with an interval of one month in between. The results were evaluated after one year. There werer no significant differences between the two groups. Highly positive results were achieved in both groups. In 90 cases (71,43%) the children were either cured from their asthma or markedly improved, the medication either having been stopped or substantially reduced, and the children being free from asthma. In 29 cases (23,02%) there was improvement, while 6 cases (4,76%) were unchanged. No unfavourable side effects were observed and only 1 case was worse. In 12 cases they were not able to collect information after one year. (1)
This study from Sarajevo was not followed up due to the war in Bosnia. It shows, however, that light acupuncture with specific, coherent light may be an interesting alternative in the treatment of children suffering from asthma. The purpose of our study has been to test a similar method in a sufficiently large number of children suffering from asthma in Norway to see if this is a practical therapeutic alternative also in our country.
As a specific light we have chosen light that is emitted by molecules of Singlet Oxygen reverting to Oxygen in the ground state, so called ‘Singlet Oxygen Energy’ (SOE). There are several reasons why we have chosen this form of specific light therapy. This light in biologically active dosages is so weak that it can not harm the eyes if these should be exposed by accident. Highly interesting experimental research has been done at the University of Göteborg (Sweden), demonstrating the strong biological effect of this light, and proving that this specific light has great medical and scientific interest. (2,3)
We have used an instrument produced by Valkion AB in Göteborg. In the activation chamber of this instrument Singlet Oxygen is produced by a photochemical method. Singlet Oxygen is a molecular form of Oxygen that is in a higher energetic state than Oxygen in the ground state. It is highly unstable and will revert to Oxygen in the ground state within a fraction of a second, emitting a specific light energy of wave length 634,7 nanometer. This specific light energy (SOE) is conducted together with light from the illuminating halogen lamp through a fiber optic cable for illumination of the skin point.
Each treatment session includes the irradiation of 7-10 acupuncture points. We have used points known from acupuncture experience to be effective in the treatment of asthma. As standard points we have used Lung-5 and Lung-7, Large intestine 11 and Spleen 10 for exogenous, allergic asthma, and used the same basic program with a small variation in cases of more endogenous asthma. Each point is irradiated for ca. 30 seconds, each session taking 5-10 minutes. As a rule we have given two series of 6 treatments each with an interval of 1-2 months in between. As the treatment is done on an out patient basis we have generally treated 2 or 3 times a week. The therapy has, however, to some degree been adapted to the individual case, as some children were free from their asthma and need for medication after only 6 treatments, while others were in need of further treatment after having completed the 2 courses of 6 treatments each.
Dr. Schjelderup and Susan Thorkildsen started their part of the project in January 1998. In May 1998 Dr. Stadheim joined the project. The results for both groups were evaluated in September 1999 and are given separately for the two groups.
In the Schjelderup/Thorkildsen group there are 19 children of age 1-12 years. 3 of these children had recurrent respiratory infections with asthmatic bronchitis and were diagnosed as cases of endogenous asthma. The other 16 children had exogenous asthma or asthma of mixed exogenous/endogenous type. Average number of sessions with SOE acupuncture was 10. 16 children were either cured, being free from asthma and without medication, or much improved, only having need of medication temporarily in case of respiratory infection or exposure to excessive amounts of allergens. – If this need of occasional medication was real or not, was however, difficult to judge in many cases, as parents of children with asthma tend to believe that any respiratory symptoms, as for example in a common cold, signifies asthma and need for medication. – The 3 remaining children were also improved. This gives the following results:
Cured or much improved: 16 cases 84,21 %
Improved: 3 cases 15,79 %
In Stadheim’s group there are 41 children with diagnosed asthma. 35 of these children were either cured from their asthma or much improved, all of them being free from medication. Some of these children were initially so ill and heavily medicated that they had been diagnosed as asthma grade IV and had repeatedly been hospitalized. 3 of these severely asthmatic children were later examined at the main clinic for asthma in children at Voksenåsen in Norway and were found to be free from asthma. 2 of these children had been so ill that they had been on continual medication with systemic steroids. They had now been free from medication for 4 and 6 months respectively. Another child had come to Dr. Stadheim with his third pneumonia in 2 months with high fever and classical pulmonary signs. In agreement with the mother Dr. Stadheim tried SOE acupuncture in stead of antibiotics this time and could observe how the pneumonia regressed quickly and the child recovered completely within 5 days. Some of these severe cases of asthma grade III-IV had needed more than 12 treatment sessions with SOE acupuncture. The largest number of treatments given were 24.
Cured or much improved: 35 cases 85,37 %
According to our study, 51 out of 60 children, that is 85 %, have either been cured or much improved from their asthma. We have observed no unwanted side effects, and the improvement in the general state and well being of the children has often been striking.
The results confirm the positive results from the study of Dr. Grubor from Sarajevo, and shows that SOE acupuncture is an at least equally good alternative as soft laser acupuncture for this kind of therapy. In our 60 cases we have an observation time of one year or more. This confirms the experience from Sarajevo that the improvement achieved is relatively permanent. In some cases we have seen temporary relapses connected with respiratory infections. These, however, can easily be treated with a few additional sessions with SOE acupuncture.
Basic research done by Professor Bassam Soussi with MNR spectroscopy at the Wallenberg Laboratory at the University of Göteborg has proved that, while Singlet Oxygen in molecular form is highly reactive acting like a free radical, SOE has a very positive biological effect, acting as a strong antioxidant (2). SOE has a positive effect on living tissue, significantly improving the vitality and preservation of muscle transplants for transplantation surgery. (3,4) Large scale clinical research has been done in Ukraine proving the positive therapeutic effect of SOE therapy. Of special interest are three large studies, comprising 1303 children of age 6–15 years from regions strongly polluted by radioactivity after the Chernobyl accident. (4,5,6) These studies show that therapy with SOE gives significantly better results when added to routine therapy in the treatment of a great variety of medical problems. The perhaps most interesting finding was that SOE therapy significantly increases the secretion of radioactive Cesium-137 in these children.
The phenomenon of photo-repair has been known since the 1930’s. This phenomenon, where the self-repair of DNA is stimulated by irradiation with specific wave lengths of light, is of great potential medical interest. SOE apparently has a very great potential for stimulating photo-repair. It is our hope that our small study shall serve to stimulate further research in this promising field.
In 2002 we made a further follow up of asthmatic children treated by SOE acupuncture. We now had a material of 134 children suffering from asthma that had been treated by this method by 4 different acupuncturists. Approximately similar positive results were obtained by all of them. Although our study is to be regarded as a pilot study and hopefully may be followed up by more strictly designed scientific studies, we feel that we have a sufficient basis to recommend this method of SOE acupuncture in the treatment of asthma in children to others.
Grubor, D.: “Treatment of Bronchial Asthma in Children by Laser Acupuncture”, 2nd World Conference on Acupuncture, Paris 1990.
Hultèn, L.M., Holmström, M. and Soussi, B.: “Harmful Singlet Oxygen can be Helpful”, Free Radical Biology & Medicine, Vol. 27, Nos 11/12, pp. 1203-1207, 1999.
Lundberg, J., Lindgård, A., Elander, A. and Soussi, B.: ”Improved Energetic Recovery of Skeletal Muscle in Response to Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury Followed by in Vivo 31P-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopi”, Microsurgery, 22:1-7, 2002.
Lindgård, Ann (tutor: Professor Bassam Soussi): “Energy Metabolism during Surgical Skeletal Muscle Transfer on Rat – Effect of Preservation Medium and Illumination with Singlet Oxygen Energy”, University of Gothenburg 1999.
Gladchuk, E.O., Zhdanova, G.B. and Dimitrenko: “Treatment of the patients from ecologically and radiologically polluted regions with respiratory tract pathologies and acute toxic gas poisoning as professional diseases”, Ukraina 1999.
Lytvak, I. and Hora, L.: “Singlet Oxygen Therapy Use for the Treatment of the Children Living in the Territory Radioactively Polluted by Chornobyl Atomic Power Station”, Sanatorium ‘Ukraine’, Kyiv Region, Ukraina 1999.
Kolestnyk, V.: “Report on Clinical Investigations of Singlet Oxygen Therapy Valkion unit use in Sanatorium Practice at Chernobyl Zone in Ukraine”, Ukraina 1999.