Acupuncture Times Your guide to acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and TCM — explore acupoints, herbs and formulas, plus the latest acupuncture research news.
Related Articles
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effects of a range of complementary therapies — including tai chi, qigong, yoga, music therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, relaxation techniques, and water-based exercise — on patients living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Researchers searched four major databases and included thirty-six randomised controlled trials involving a total of 3,148 participants, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines throughout.
When compared with usual care, exercise-based complementary therapies produced notable improvements across several key outcomes. Six-minute walk distance improved meaningfully, as did lung function measured by forced expiratory volume percentage predicted. Patients also reported reductions in breathlessness, overall symptom burden, and health-related quality of life scores. Importantly, levels of anxiety and depression were also reduced. When complementary therapies were compared directly with conventional pulmonary rehabilitation, they still demonstrated modest additional gains in walking capacity and depression scores.
The authors acknowledge that evidence remains heterogeneous across the different therapy types, and that further research is needed to determine which specific modalities work best for which patients. Nevertheless, the overall picture suggests that complementary therapies hold real promise as adjunctive strategies alongside established pulmonary rehabilitation programmes.
Conclusion: Complementary therapies, including tai chi and qigong, appear to offer meaningful physiological and psychological benefits for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and may usefully complement conventional pulmonary rehabilitation.
Source: Santiworakul A, Cetthakrikul S, Nemoto S and colleagues. Respiratory medicine (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 42855085) · doi:10.1016/j.rmed.2026.109204