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There are few data concerning the effect of acupuncture in patients suffering from COPD. We conducted a prospective randomized and placebo-controlled pilot study to analyze the effect of acupuncture according to the rules of traditional chinese medicine on quality of life, pulmonary function testing and inspiratory mouth occlusion pressures (MOP).We randomised 10 patients with stable COPD to a 2-week treatment of 7 verum acupuncture or placebo acupuncture sessions. Before and after treatment we performed pulmonary function tests as well as an interview with the chronic respiratory disease questionnaire. MOP were taken on day 1, 5 and 7 before and after punction to assess function of the respiratory pump.Patients receiving verum acupuncture improved significantly with FEV1 and RV/TLC. There was an improvement of large magnitude in quality of life and a trend of lower demand of the respiratory pump. In the placebo group we saw only a slight improvement of quality of life, a deterioration of lung function parameters and a trend of higher demand of the respiratory pump.Although the small number of subjects allows no further conclusions this pilot study proves feasibility of acupuncture in COPD and shows that acupuncture is worthy for further investigation in patients suffering from COPD.

IT is well known that when body cells are seriously injured, the blood and urine of animals are able to degrade deoxyribonucleic acid, in a way closely resembling the action of deoxyribonucleases I and II. In this communication we therefore refer to these activities as the effect of deoxyribonucleases. Several explanations of this phenomenon are possible. Two of them provided the background for this investigation: the (a) the enzymes are extruded from damaged cells, (b) with the release of the cell contents a reaction is started which ultimately leads to a rise in deoxyribonuclease activity. The facts in favour of this point of view were given by Kowlessar and Altman1. They found rising deoxyribonuclease activities following irradiation of the whole body. In rats the maximum activity in the body fluids of deoxyribonuclease II is found on the first, and of deoxyribonuclease I on the sixth day, following exposure to X-rays. This makes it unlikely that one mechanism would be responsible for both maxima.