Patients’ experiences with East Asian traditional medicine for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a qualitative study focusing on herbal medicine, chuna (or tuina) manual therapy, and acupuncture

East Asian traditional medicine (EATM), including herbal medicine, chuna (or tuina) manual therapy (CMT), and acupuncture, has been investigated as an adjunctive approach for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, little is known about how patients experience and interpret these modalities or how these experiences relate to attitudes toward future use. This study explored patients’ experiences, perceptions, and attitudes regarding EATM use for COPD. Eleven patients with COPD who had prior experience with EATM were purposively recruited. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted until no new codes emerged. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Two researchers performed open coding, compared and refined codes through examination of the transcripts, and developed categories through consensus. After the qualitative analysis and category development were completed, participant-level quantitative data from previous CMT and herbal medicine studies were exploratorily compared with symptom and functional changes described in the interviews. Participants’ accounts were organized chronologically into four categories: prior experiences with EATM for conditions other than COPD; reasons for attempting EATM for COPD or participating in EATM clinical research; experiences with EATM for COPD; and changes in attitudes toward EATM after treatment. Decisions to use EATM were described in relation to persistent symptoms despite standard treatment, previous experiences, and views of family members, acquaintances, and physicians. Herbal medicine users described gradual respiratory and functional changes, whereas CMT users emphasized immediate bodily sensations such as chest opening, relaxation, or easier sputum clearance; some participants nevertheless described no meaningful improvement in major respiratory symptoms. Acupuncture accounts were limited and varied. Favorable, unfavorable, and uncertain experiences coexisted, and participants’ attitudes toward future use were related to cost, treatment burden, limited understanding of mechanisms, safety concerns, and communication with physicians. Exploratory comparison with existing quantitative measures showed both same- and different-direction patterns, while some experiences had no comparable measure. Patients did not experience EATM as a homogeneous treatment category. Their attitudes reflected modality-specific experiences, the meanings attributed to perceived changes, and practical concerns surrounding treatment. These context-specific findings may inform future research using more diverse samples and outcome domains that better reflect patient-described experiences.