Current situation and analysis of clinical application of auricular acupoint sticking therapy

Objective： By the bibliometrical analysis and evaluation of acupuncture theses on auricular acupoint sticking from 2005 to 2014, the analysis was processed from multiple aspects including the types and numbers of diseases and effective rates of various diseases, in order to objectively reflect the general situation of clinical application of ear point embedding method in the recent years. Methods： By the bibliometrical analysis, the literature on auricular acupoint sticking in the recent ten years was counted up, analyzed and categorized. Results and Conclusion： Auricular acupoint sticking is used clinically for diseases of 26 systems, including 130 diseases. 74 diseases were singularly treated with auricular acupoint sticking, including the advantageous disease category like insomnia, constipation and obesity, and secondary advantageous disease category like dysmenorrhea, myopia, allergic rhinitis, post-operative pain and acne vulgaris.

Clinical observation of auricular acupoint therapy for pain in early-stage extremity trauma

Objective： To observe the efficacy of auricular acupoint sticking based on conventional treatment in treating pain in early-stage extremity trauma. Methods： A hundred eligible patients with acute soft tissue injury or acute closed fracture were randomized into an observation group and a control group by their admission sequence, 50 cases in each group. The two groups both received routine management including routine checking, external fixing, traction, raising up the affected limb, etc., as well as cold compress with Chinese medication （Xiao Zhong Zhi Tong Powder）. In addition to the routine management, the control group was given oral administration of amidopyrine and phenacetin compound tablet, I tablet per dose, twice a day, which was then taken only when necessary or terminated after pain subsided. The observation group was given auricular acupoint sticking in addition to the routine management. The two groups were compared in terms of numerical rating scale （NRS） score, therapeutic efficacy and adverse reactions after pain was relieved. Results： After the intervention, the NRS scores dropped significantly in both groups （P〈0.01）; the NRS score in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group （P〈0.05）. The total effective rate in the observation group was superior to that in the control group （P〈0.05）. There were no severe adverse reactions in the two groups. Conclusion： Based on routine management, auricular acupoint sticking can produce a more significant efficacy in treating pain in early-stage extremity trauma compared to amidopyrine and phenacetin compound tablet; it can effectively reduce pain of the affected limb and prevent complications; it＇s easy-to-operate and safe; patients can learn and understand it easily; its efficacy is confirmed; it enhances the satisfaction degree of the inpatients. Therefore, this method is worth promoting in clinic.

Effect of tuina exercise on simple obesity in college students

Objective:To observe the effect of tuina exercise on simple obesity in college students.Methods:Fifty-seven college students with simple obesity were divided into two groups according to the stratified randomization method.Twenty-eight in the tuina exercise group were trained in tuina exercise;while 29 in the auricular acupoint sticking group were treated with acuricular acupoint sticking.The tuina exercise group was trained once every other day,and 10 times made one course.The auricular acupoint sticking was replaced once every 4 d,and 5 times made one course.After 2-course treatment,the total therapeutic effect,weight,body mass index (BMI),waist and hip circumferences,serum total cholesterol (TC),triglyceride (TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were assessed.Results:The total therapeutic effect was 86.2% in the auricular acupoint sticking group and 85.7% in the tuina exercise group.There was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05).After treatment,the weight,BMI,waist and hip circumferences were decreased and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05).The waist and hip circumferences in the tuina exercise group were lower than those in the auricular acupoint sticking group,showing statistically significant differences (all P<0.05).After treatment,there were no significant intra-group differences in TC,TG,HDL-C and LDL-C in the two groups (all P>0.05),and the between-group differences were not significant (all P>0.05).Conclusion:Tuina exercise has reliable effect in treating obesity.It can produce more significant improvements in waist and hip circumferences than auricular acupoint sticking.But no obvious effect is shown in blood lipid indicators.

Correlation analysis on clinical effects of acupuncture for elderly patients with sensorineural deafness and ear distending sensation

Objective： To investigate the relationship between clinical effects of acupuncture for elderly patients with sensorineural deafness and ear distending sensation. Methods： A total of 120 elderly patients with sensorineural deafness were randomly divided into a comprehensive treatment group, an acupuncture group and a Western medicine group, with 40 cases in each group. The acupuncture group received acupuncture treatment, the Western medicine group received oral mecobalamin tablets and the comprehensive treatment group received acupuncture plus acupoint injection and auricular acupoint sticking. The values of pure tone hearing threshold test of the three groups were observed before and after treatment, and the relationship between clinical effects and ear distending sensation was compared. Results： The total effective rate of the comprehensive treatment group was 82.5% versus 67.0% in the acupuncture group and 62.5% in the Western medicine group. The inter-group comparisons showed statistically significant differences in the comprehensive treatment group versus the Western medicine group （P〈0.01） and the acupuncture group （P〈0.05）. In the comprehensive treatment group, there were 23 cases （57.5%） with ear distending sensation, the clinical total effective rate was 86.9%; there were 17 cases （42.5%） without the sensation, the clinical total effective rate was 76.5%. In the acupuncture group, there were 24 cases （60.0%） with ear distending sensation, the clinical total effective rate was 71.0%; there were 16 cases （40.0%） without the sensation, the clinical total effective rate was 63.0%. In the Western medicine group, there were 21 cases （52.5%） with ear distending sensation, the clinical total effective rate was 66.7%; there were 19 cases （47.5%） without the sensation, the clinical total effective rate was 57.9%. The total effective rate of patients with ear distending sensation were higher than the rates of those without ear distending sensation in the three groups, but the differences were insignificant （all P〉0.05）. Conclusion： The comprehensive therapy is one of the effective methods to treat elderly patients with sensorineural deafness. In the three groups of elderly patients with sensorineural deafness, the relief of ear distending sensation and the hearing loss were basically simultaneous, and the hearing recovery in the patients with ear distending sensation may be slightly better than that in those without ear distending sensation. Nevertheless, further research is needed.