Am J Med Sci. 2003 Aug; 326(2): 107-9.

Acupuncture therapy for sleep-related laryngospasm.

Schiff E, Oliven A, Odeh M.

Department of Internal Medicine B, Bnai Zion Medical Center and Technion Faculty of Medicine, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 31063, Israel.

Sleep-related laryngospasm is a rare disorder that may cause severe disablement. It refers to episodic arousal from sleep with a sense of suffocation followed by stridor. This phenomenon, which is caused by laryngospasm, is probably secondary to gastroesophageal reflux. The reflux is the target for current treatment of this serious disorder. Treatment by acupuncture for sleep-related laryngospasm has not been previously reported in the English medical literature. We describe a previously healthy patient with sleep-related laryngospasm caused by gastroesophageal reflux refractory to current medical treatment who was treated successfully using acupuncture.