Difference in the Metabolic Characteristics of COPD Patients and Healthy Adults

The Lung and Heart meridians are chosen as two specific studied meridians. Participants of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and healthy volunteers will be enrolled. 120 participants will be included and divided into the healthy control group, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) group and healthy intervention group. Functional near infrared spectroscopy will be used to assess the metabolic characteristics of the Heart and Lung meridians. The specificity for the meridian-visceral association will be investigated by comparing the metabolic difference between the Heart and Lung meridians in the healthy control group and COPD group. Besides, participants in the healthy intervention group will receive two sessions of moxibustion in the Heart meridian and Lung meridian respectively to explore the specificity for the site-to-site association.