“Focusing on Treating the Spirit(神)”in Acupuncture and Moxibustion:The Dialectical Unity of Regulating the Body and the Spirit

“Focusing on treating the spirit(神)”is an important principle in acupuncture and moxibustion.It is a unique psychosomatic therapy involving the doctor and the patient,which includes regulating the spirit and the body.Traditional Chinese medicine attaches great importance to it.Focusing on treating the spirit is also a component of the standards of medical ethics.Only when doctors have noble medical ethics can they achieve clinical treatment of the mind and give full play to their skills to cure diseases.Focusing on treating the spirit runs through the entire clinical process of acupuncture and moxibustion.Before the treatment,it is necessary to focus on the spirit to distinguish the spirit and qi.During the treatment,attention should be paid to the mind to regulate the spirit and qi.It is the premise of clinical diagnosis and treatment of acupuncture and moxibustion and the key to the curative effect.Focusing on treating the spirit is also in the realm of doctor-patient double treatment,which requires doctor-patient communication before treatment and the preservation of the body and spirit after treatment.Therefore,concentration of the mind is the key to acupuncture and moxibustion treatment.

Efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine on shortening the negative conversion time of SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid in patients with mild COVID-19:a retrospective cohort study

BackgroundThe holistic view of the‘The unity of man and nature’promotes the development and application of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).Despite the absence of modern pharmacological therapies with robust efficacy against coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),TCM has exhibited potential utility for treating the disease in clinical practice.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted to investigate the therapeutic effect of TCM treatment intensity(TCMTI)in patients with mild COVID-19.A total of 6120 laboratory-confirmed patients with mild COVID-19 were recruited from temporary isolation facilities.The primary outcome measure was severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)ribonucleic acid conversion time.In addition,restricted cubic spline models were employed to elucidate nonlinear relationships.ResultsThe median age(range)of the study participants was 43.0(2.0–75.0)years,with a median hospitalization duration of 9.7(4.1–22.5)days.The median time for achieving SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid negativity was 6.67 days.The restricted cubic spline models revealed a remarkable nonlinear association between TCMTI and the time-to-ribonucleic acid negativity.After adjusting for potential confounders,the high TCMTI group exhibited a markedly shorter median time to SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid negativity and reduced hospitalization duration(P<0.001)than the low TCMTI group.Moreover,the mean time to achieve SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid negativity was shortened by 1.909 days(P<0.001)in the high-TCMTI group compared to the low-TCMTI group.ConclusionThis study suggests that early initiation and intensified use of TCM may accelerate the time required to achieve SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid negativity in patients with COVID-19,bearing considerable implications for public health.

Mechanism progress of acupuncture and moxibustion for chronic prostatitis

The effect of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome(CP/CPPS) is definite,and progress has been made in the studies of its functional mechanism.This paper discusses the related studies on the mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of CP/CPPS from five aspects:regulating immunity,anti-oxidative stress,regulating neural functions,improving urodynamics,and regulating blood circulation.It is found that acupuncture and moxibustion can decrease the level of pro-inflammatory factors,increase the level of anti-inflammatory factors,and regulate the level of inflammatory regulatory factors,thus to regulate immunity.Acupuncture and moxibustion can improve the body’s ability of anti-oxidative stress,regulate the balance state of oxidation and anti-oxidation,thus to relieve tissue damage,and regulate neural functions by modulating neurotransmitters and autonomic nerves.Acupuncture and moxibustion can improve urodynamics and relieve abnormal urination symptoms by regulating the contraction of pelvic floor muscles,can also promote blood circulation to treat the pelvic congestion.It is expected that this paper can provide reference for the clinical application and research of acupuncture and moxibustion for CP/CPPS.

The effect of sensation of transmission along meridian acupuncture for chronic nonbacterial prostatitis

Objective:To investigate the short-term efficacy difference between sensation of transmission along meridian acupuncture and non-sensation of transmission along meridian acupuncture in the treatment of chronic nonbacterial prostatitis.Methods:A randomized,controlled,and single-blind clinical study was performed to collect 63 patients with chronic nonbacterial prostatitis who met the inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to a transmission sensation group(31 patients)and a non-transmission sensation group(32 patients).The two groups of patients took the same acupuncture points.When they were lying down on their backs,Guānyuán(关元 CV4),Zhōngjí(中极 CV3)and Dàhè(大赫 K112)were taken.When they were lying down on their stomachs,Shènshū(肾俞 BL 23),Cìliáo(次髎 BL32)and Huìyáng(会阳 BL35)were taken.Among them,the transmission sensation group was treated with transmission sensation along meridian to apply deep needling to the lower abdomen and lumbosacral acupuncture points with lifting,thrusting,and twirling method,so that the needling sensation was transmitted to the bladder,perineum and urethra.The non-transmission sensation group was treated with non-transmission sensation along meridian,and the acupuncture points were treated with conventional acupuncture until the patient felt soreness and distending etc.and the arrival of qi.Both groups of patients were treated with electro-acupuncture during acupuncture,and the sparse-dense wave(sparse wave 4 Hz,dense wave 20 Hz),and the needle retention continued for 20 min.All patients were treated for 3 times with once every other day,and the treatment lasted for one week.The CV4,CV3 and KI12 were used in the first and third treatments,and the BL23,BL32 and BL35 were used in the second treatment.The National Institute of Health chronic prostatitis syndrome index(NIH-CPSI)and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale(HAMA)were observed,and the clinical efficacies of the patient were observed.Results:After treatment,the NIH-CPSI scores(18.29±1.25,21.56±1.28)and HAMA scores(10.29±1.16,11.25±1.14)in the transmission sensation group and non-transmission sensation group were all lower than the pre-treatment NIH-CPSI score(24.90±1.45,24.94±1.25)and HAMA(14.10±1.53,14.47±1.22)in the transmission sensation group and non-transmission sensation group,the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).The difference value between the pre-treatment and post-treatment NIH-CPSI scores of the transmission sensation group(6.61±0.97)was higher than that of the nontransmission sensation group(3.48±0.59),and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The difference value between the pre-treatment and post-treatment HAMA scores of the transmission sensation group(3.81±0.81)was higher than that of the non-transmission sensation group(2.77±0.54).The total effective rate of the transmission sensation group(35.48%)was higher than that of the nontransmission sensation group(12.50%),and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusions:Both the method of transmission sensation along meridian and the method of nontransmission sensation along meridian can effectively relieve the clinical symptoms and anxiety symptoms of patients with chronic nonbacterial prostatitis,improve the quality of life,and the method of transmission sensation along meridian had a more advantageous effect.

Impact factors of Blastocystis hominis infection in persons living with human immunodeficiency virus:a large-scale,multi-center observational study from China

Background Blastocystis hominis(Bh)is zoonotic parasitic pathogen with a high prevalent globally,causing opportunistic infections and diarrhea disease.Human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)infection disrupts the immune system by depleting CD4^(+)T lymphocyte(CD4^(+)T)cell counts,thereby increasing Bh infection risk among persons living with HIV(PLWH).However,the precise association between Bh infection risk and HIV-related biological markers and treatment processes remains poorly understood.Hence,the purpose of the study was to explore the association between Bh infection risk and CD4^(+)T cell counts,HIV viral load(VL),and duration of interruption in antiviral therapy among PLWH.Methods A large-scale multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted in China from June 2020 to December 2022.The genetic presence of Bh in fecal samples was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction,the CD4^(+)T cell counts in venous blood was measured using flowcytometry,and the HIV VL in serum was quantified using fluorescence-based instruments.Restricted cubic spline(RCS)was applied to assess the non-linear association between Bh infection risk and CD4^(+)T cell counts,HIV VL,and duration of interruption in highly active antiretroviral therapy(HARRT).Results A total of 1245 PLWH were enrolled in the study,the average age of PLWH was 43 years[interquartile range(IQR):33,52],with 452(36.3%)being female,50.4%(n=628)had no immunosuppression(CD4^(+)T cell counts>500 cells/μl),and 78.1%(n=972)achieved full virological suppression(HIV VL<50 copies/ml).Approximately 10.5%(n=131)of PLWH had interruption.The prevalence of Bh was found to be 4.9%[95%confidence interval(CI):3.8-6.4%]among PLWH.Significant nonlinear associations were observed between the Bh infection risk and CD4^(+)T cell counts(Pfor nonlinearity<0.001,L-shaped),HIV VL(Pfor nonlinearity<0.001,inverted U-shaped),and duration of interruption in HARRT(Pfor nonlinearity<0.001,inverted U-shaped).Conclusions The study revealed that VL was a better predictor of Bh infection than CD4^(+)T cell counts.It is crucial to consider the simultaneous surveillance of HIV VL and CD4^(+)T cell counts in PLWH in the regions with high level of socioeconomic development.The integrated approach can offer more comprehensive and accurate understanding in the aspects of Bh infection and other opportunistic infections,the efficacy of therapeutic drugs,and the assessment of preventive and control strategies.

Reduced SARS-CoV-2 infection risk is associated with the use of Seven-Flavor Herb Tea:A multi-center observational study in Shanghai,China

Objective:Omicron,a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)variant,is responsible for numerous infections in China.This study investigates the association between the use of Seven-Flavor Herb Tea(SFHT)and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection to develop precise and differentiated strategies for control of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Methods:This case-control study was conducted at shelter hospitals and quarantine hotels in China.A total of 5348 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients were enrolled between April 1 and May 31,2022,while 2190 uninfected individuals served as healthy controls.Structured questionnaires were used to collect data on demographics,underlying diseases,vaccination status,and use of SFHT.Patients were propensity-score-matched using 1:1 nearest-neighbor matching of the logit of the propensity score.Subsequently,a conditional logistic regression model was used for data analysis.Results:Overall,7538 eligible subjects were recruited,with an average age of[45.54±16.94]years.The age of COVID-19 patients was significantly higher than that of uninfected individuals([48.25±17.48]years vs[38.92±13.41]years;t=22.437,P<0.001).A total of 2190 COVID-19 cases were matched with uninfected individuals at a 1:1 ratio.The use of SFHT(odds ratio=0.753,95%confidence interval:0.692,0.820)was associated with a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to untreated individuals.Conclusion:Our findings suggest that taking SFHT reduces the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.This is a useful study in the larger picture of COVID-19 management,but data from large-sample multi-center,randomized clinical trial are warranted to confirm the finding.