Researchers tested whether adding a painless moxibustion technique to standard montelukast therapy helps adults with cough-variant asthma linked to wind cold attacking the lung. The study enrolled 94 patients and compared oral montelukast alone to montelukast plus moxibustion at specific acupuncture points over about 1.8 months.
After treatment, both groups improved, but the combination group had better TCM symptom scores, higher FEV1, PEF, and FEV1/FVC, and lower IgE and IL-6 levels. Right after treatment, the total effective rate was high in both groups (100% vs 94%), but at follow-up one month later, the combination group maintained gains (96% vs 43%).
Safety data were not reported, and it is unclear if participants or assessors were blinded. Because the intervention combines moxibustion with medication, the study cannot isolate the effect of moxibustion alone. Effect sizes and confidence intervals were not provided.
These findings suggest the combination may offer added symptom relief and lung function benefits, but they are preliminary. Larger, well-controlled studies with clear safety reporting are needed before this approach can be recommended.