Acupoint Herbal Patching for Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

ABSTRACT: Acupoint herbal patching (AHP), which involves local point stimulation with a herbal medicine patch, has long been used to treat patients with asthma in East Asian countries. However, its evidence is equivocal. This systematic review aims to summarize and critically evaluate the efficacy and safety of AHP for asthma.A literature search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure for studies published on or before April 2014, which were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining AHP therapy by itself or in combination with other treatments in asthma patients. Trials needed to report pulmonary function outcomes to be included in analyses. The risk of bias of included studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment

SUBMITTER: Lee SH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4718253 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature