Equine veterinary journal2006; 38(2); 109;

The effects of a single acupuncture treatment in horses with severe recurrent airway obstruction.

Lankenau, C

Abstract: Reasons for performing studyAcupuncture may be recommended for horses with 'heaves' because it is being increasingly applied to treat human asthma. Therefore, its efficacy was investigated in horses with this asthma-like disease.Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a single acupuncture treatment for the relief of airway obstruction in heaves-affected horses.Methods: The efficacy of a single acupuncture treatment was tested in 10 heaves-affected horses, and the effect of removal from the dusty stall environment in 5 heaves-affected horses. Before treatment, horses were stabled to induce airway obstruction and, apart from trips to the laboratory for pulmonary function measurements, they remained stabled for the duration of each treatment. The severity of airway obstruction was quantified by measurement of lung function before treatment (baseline), and at 20, 60, 120 and 240 mins and 24 h after the following treatments administered in random order: halter restraint and patting, a single acupuncture treatment by an experienced acupuncturist, and a single acupuncture treatment using predetermined points (recipe) by a veterinarian with no acupuncture training. In a second study, horses were untreated and remained either in their stall or in a paddock for all measurements of lung function, after baseline readings were made.Results: In the first study, after all treatments, there was a temporal improvement in maximal change in pleural pressure, pulmonary resistance, dynamic compliance, respiratory rate, and tidal volume that lasted less than 24 h. There was no specific effect of acupuncture treatment. In the second study, removal from the dusty environment did not produce an improvement in lung function in the first 6 h. We conclude that most of the improvements in lung function observed in the study were due to handling.Conclusions: Assessed objectively, a single acupuncture treatment during an attack of heaves causes no more improvement in lung function than does handling the horse.Potential relevanceAcupuncture should not replace conventional medical treatments for heaves.

Get Full Text

Publication Date: 2006-03-16 PubMed ID: 16536377

The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.

Facebook X LinkedIn Email Copy

Cite This
Publication
Affiliations
MeSH
Citations

Comment
Letter

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study tested whether a single acupuncture session helps horses experiencing “heaves” (a severe, asthma-like breathing disorder). It found no specific benefit from acupuncture beyond the short-lived improvements seen from simply handling the horses.

What the condition is and why acupuncture was tested

“Heaves” (severe recurrent airway obstruction) is an asthma-like disease in horses marked by labored breathing due to airway narrowing and mucus.
Acupuncture is increasingly used for human asthma, prompting interest in whether it might relieve airway obstruction in affected horses.
The study asked if a single acupuncture treatment could objectively improve lung function during an active bout of heaves.

Study design and methods

Participants: Heaves-affected horses were intentionally stabled in dusty conditions to induce airway obstruction before testing.
Primary experiment (n=10): Each horse received three interventions in randomized order, with objective lung function measured at baseline, 20, 60, 120, 240 minutes, and 24 hours after each:
- Handling control: halter restraint and patting.
- Acupuncture by an experienced acupuncturist.
- “Recipe” acupuncture at predetermined points by a veterinarian without acupuncture training.
Environmental experiment (n=5): Without any treatment, horses either remained in the stall (dusty environment) or were moved to a paddock (cleaner air), and lung function was measured for up to 6 hours.
Housing: Apart from trips for testing, horses stayed in their assigned environment to maintain consistent exposure.

What outcomes were measured

Maximal change in pleural pressure: reflects the breathing effort the horse must exert; higher values indicate more obstruction.
Pulmonary resistance: indicates how hard airways are to move air through; higher resistance means tighter, more obstructed airways.
Dynamic compliance: how easily the lungs expand during breathing; lower values indicate stiffer, more obstructed lungs.
Respiratory rate: breaths per minute; can rise when breathing is labored.
Tidal volume: the amount of air moved per breath; often reduced with airway narrowing.

Key results

Across all three interventions (handling, expert acupuncture, recipe acupuncture), the measured lung function parameters showed short-term improvements that did not persist beyond 24 hours.
No specific advantage of acupuncture over simple handling was detected on any lung function measure.
In the environmental experiment, simply moving horses out of the dusty stall into a paddock did not improve lung function within the first 6 hours.
Overall, the improvements seen shortly after interventions were attributed primarily to handling/time effects rather than an acupuncture-specific physiological benefit.

Interpretation and conclusions

When assessed with objective lung function tests, a single acupuncture session during an active heaves episode provides no more benefit than calm handling.
Short-lived changes after any intervention likely reflect nonspecific effects (handling, reduced stress, time) rather than targeted airway relief from acupuncture.
The authors conclude acupuncture should not replace conventional medical management for heaves.

Strengths and controls

Within-horse comparisons with randomized order help control for individual variability.
Objective physiological endpoints (pressure, resistance, compliance) reduce subjective bias.
Inclusion of both expert and non-expert acupuncture arms plus a handling control isolates specific vs nonspecific effects.

Limitations to consider

Single treatment only; does not address whether repeated or long-term acupuncture could have cumulative effects.
Small sample sizes, especially in the environmental arm (n=5) for short-term effects of dust removal.
Short follow-up (up to 24 hours) may miss delayed responses.
Potential lack of blinding could introduce expectation effects, although objective measures mitigate this.
Environmental improvement was assessed only over 6 hours; longer dust-free periods might be needed to detect benefit.

Clinical and practical implications

Do not substitute acupuncture for evidence-based heaves treatments (e.g., environmental management, veterinarian-prescribed medications).
Expect that calm handling may produce brief, nonspecific improvements, but these are unlikely to address the underlying airway obstruction.
Environmental changes may require more than a few hours to show measurable physiological benefit.

Future research directions

Trials of repeated acupuncture sessions with longer follow-up to test for cumulative or delayed effects.
Sham-controlled, blinded designs to distinguish specific acupuncture effects from placebo/handling influences.
Studies integrating rigorous environmental control over days to weeks to quantify interactive effects with any adjunct therapies.
Exploration of responder subgroups, if any, based on disease severity or chronicity.

Bottom line

In horses actively experiencing heaves, one acupuncture treatment did not objectively improve lung function beyond the transient effects of handling, and it should not replace standard medical care.