Meta- analysis revealed few clinical ly relevant and statistically significant benefits of " add-on " therapies on exercise performance compared with exercise training .
The aim of this review was to identify the effectiveness of therapies added on to conventional exercise training to maximise exercise capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) .
Acupuncture as an Adjunct to Pulmonary Rehabilitation
PURPOSE : Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) is characterized by airflow limitation and by both systemic and airway inflammation . In COPD , acupuncture has been shown to improve quality -of-life scores and decrease breathlessness ; similar findings have also been reported after pulmonary rehabilitation ( PR ) . The hypothesis of this study was that acupuncture in conjunction with pulmonary rehabilitation would improve COPD outcome measures compared to pulmonary rehabilitation alone . METHODS : The design was a r and omized prospect i ve study ; all subjects had COPD . There were 19 controls , 25 who underwent PR , and 16 who had both acupuncture and PR .  The primary outcome measure was a change in measures of systemic inflammation at the end of PR and at 3 month followup . Lung function , including maximum inspiratory pressure ( PiMax ) , quality -of-life scores , functional capacity including steps taken , dyspnea scores , and exercise capacity , were secondary endpoints . RESULTS : After PR , both groups had significantly improved quality -of-life scores , reduced dyspnea scores , improved exercise capacity , and PiMax , but no change in measures of systemic inflammation compared with the controls . There were no differences in most of the outcome measures between the 2 treatment groups except that subjects who had both acupuncture and PR remained less breathless for a longer period . CONCLUSION : The addition of acupuncture to PR did not add significant benefit in most of the outcomes measured
Meta- analysis revealed few clinical ly relevant and statistically significant benefits of " add-on " therapies on exercise performance compared with exercise training .
The aim of this review was to identify the effectiveness of therapies added on to conventional exercise training to maximise exercise capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) .