Comparative observation of scapulohumeral periarthritis treated with kinetic acupuncture on the distal points of the affected meridians

Objective To compare the clinical therapeutic effects on scapulohumeral periarthritis between kinetic acupuncture on the distal points of the affected meridians and shoulder three-needle therapy.Methods Fifty cases of scapulohumeral periarthritis were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group,25 cases for each.The cases in observation group were treated with kinetic acupuncture on the distal points of the affected meridians.For example,the case of Hand-Taiyin type was treated with Yújì （鱼际 LU 10） and the case of Hand-Yangming type was treated with Hégǔ （合谷 LI 4）,etc.The cases in control group were treated with shoulder three-needle therapy,in which,Jiānqián （肩前 Extral）,Jiānyú （肩髃 LI 15） and Jiānliáo （肩髎 TE 14） were selected;7 days of treatment made one session,totally 2 sessions were required.Results In observation group,the curative rate based on ROM of shoulder joint was 72.0% （18/25）,which was superior to that of 40.0% （10/25） in control group （P0.05）.After treatment,the improvements of McGill SF-MPQ score,VAS and PPI in observation group were all superior to those in control group （all P0.05）.Conclusion The kinetic acupuncture on the distal points of the affected meridians is advantageous at analgesia and motor improvements of shoulder joint in treatment of scapulohumeral periarthritis as compared with shoulder three-needle therapy.

Research on the body surface resistance imbalance degree at yuan-source points of three yin meridians of foot in the patients with primary dysmenorrhea

Objective:To explore whether or not the changes in body surface resistance at yuan-source points of three yin meridians of foot can specifically responds the onset of primary dysmenorrhea(PD) in females of menstrual period and the before and after,so as to provide the evidence for acupoint selection in clinic.Methods:A total of 90 cases of PD were recruited in a PD group and 90 healthy female undergraduates were recruited in a normal group.The yuan-source of points of three yin meridians of foot were selected,i.e.Taibai(太白SP3),Taichong(太冲LR3) and Taixi(太溪KI3).The acupoints for control were Xuehai(血海SP10),the non-special acupoint,Xuanzhong(悬钟GB39),the acupoint not on the relevant meridian,as well as a non-meridian point.Successively,before menstruation,on Day 1 during menstruation and on Day 3 after menstruation,the body surface resistance at the above-mentioned test sites was detected in the participants of two groups each day.The resistance imbalance degree(RID) of the bilateral acupoints was taken as the outcome indicator.The observation lasted one menstrual cycle.Results:(1) Intra-group comparison:at LR3,the RID was lower on Day 1 during menstruation than that before menstruation significantly in the normal group(P ≤0.05).There was no significant change in RID at the same time points,but RID on Day 3 after menstruation was lower significantly than that before menstruation in the PD group(P ≤0.05).At SP3,KI3,SP10,GB39 and sham acupoint,there were no significant differences in RID among different time points within the same group(all P> 0.05).(2) Intergroup comparison:there were no significant differences in RID among different time points at the same point.(all P> 0.05).Conclusion:RID at yuan-source points of three yin meridians of foot cannot specifically respond to PD.However,at LR3,before and after menstruation,RID changes are different between PD patients and healthy female undergraduates,which needs a further study in the future.

The two-way feedback and passing-way of human body

Two-way feedback of human body was published in 1992. The sensation of two-way feedback of body is a special system of human reaction, which maintains and regulates symmetry and balance of human body. The human two-way feedback reacts to human health. For human overall health and delay decrepitude, it is necessary to pay attention to the stimulations (passive acceptance and initiative interventions) and relevant influences in human body and the stimulative effect. In this paper, the experimental research of stimulation and an example of two-way feedback in human body are given. And lay a foundation of prevention, medical treatment and hygiene of human overall health.

Acupuncture therapy with point selection based on syndrome differentiation along the meridians for functional dyspepsia:a randomized controlled trial

Objective:To observe the difference in clinical efficacy between acupuncture with point selection based on syndrome differentiation along the meridians and acupuncture at non-meridian and non-acupoint points for functional dyspepsia(FD).Methods:A total of 74 FD patients were randomized into an observation group and a control group,with 37 cases in each group.Both groups received acupuncture treatment.Zusanli(ST 36)and Neiguan(PC 6)were selected in the observation group,with Taichong(LR 3)and Neiting(ST 44)added for excess syndrome,and Gongsun(SP 4)and Yinlingquan(SP 9)added for deficiency syndrome.Four non-meridian and non-acupoint points were selected in the control group.The treatments in both groups were performed once a day with a 2-day break after 5 consecutive treatments,which constituted one treatment course.A total of 4 courses were performed.The scores of Nepean dyspepsia index(NDI)and Leeds dyspepsia questionnaire(LDQ)were recorded before and after treatment,and during follow-up(8,12,16,20 and 24 weeks after recruitment)to assess the clinical efficacy.Results:The NDI scores in the two groups after treatment and at each time point during follow-up were higher than those before treatment(all P<0.05),and the LDQ scores were lower than those before treatment(all P<0.05).The NDI scores after treatment and at each time point during follow-up in the observation group were higher than those in the control group(all P<0.01);the total LDQ score and scores of upper abdominal pain,postprandial satiety and upper abdominal burning sensation after treatment and at each time point during follow-up in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.01 or P<0.05)..Conclusion:Acupuncture with point selection based on syndrome differentiation along the meridians has a better curative effect than acupuncture at non meridian and non-acupoint points in the treatment of FD.

Comparative study on skin temperature response to menstruation at acupuncture points in healthy volunteers and primary dysmenorrhea patients

OBJECTIVE:To assess skin temperature response to menstruation at acupuncture points in primary dysmenorrhea(PD) patients and healthy volunteers so as to explore acupuncture point specificity in reflecting diseases in the light of skin temperature.METHODS:Fifty-two PD patients and 49 healthy volunteers were recruited.Skin temperature measurements were performed with a skin temperature assessment device at 10 points.Absolute difference between skin temperature of the same point on the left and right side is used as main outcome measure.RESULTS:On the first day of menstruation, when menstrual pain attacking in PD patients, a significant increase in skin temperature difference was detected at Taixi(KI 3) compared with the healthy group(P < 0.01).A significant reduction in skin temperature difference was detected at Taixi(KI 3) in the first day of menstruation compared with those values in the third day after menstruation(P < 0.01)in the healthy group.On the third day after menstruation, a significant reduction in skin temperature difference was found at Zhongdu(LR 6) in PD group compared with the healthy group(P < 0.05).No significant differences of skin temperature were detected at other points(P > 0.05).CONCLUSION:The skin temperature difference at menstruation-relevant points in PD patients did not all change significantly more than those in women without PD.Significant difference was only found in Taixi(KI 3), the Yuan-source point of Kidney meridian.

Curative effect of scraping therapies on lumbar muscle strain

OBJECTIVE:To explore factors influencing the curative effect of scraping therapies (at acupoints or along channels) and to determine the relationship of scraping site and strength to curative effect. METHODS: Two hundred and ten patients with lumbar muscle strain were divided into five groups with 42 patients each.The "scraping therapy at acupoint until appearance of skin eruptions" and "scraping therapy along channel until appearance of skin eruptions" groups were treated with a 4-daycourse. The "scraping therapy at acupoint without appearance of skin eruptions", "scraping therapy along channel without appearance of skin eruptions", and acupuncture groups were treated with a 2-day course.The five groups were treated with seven courses. The visual analog scale (VAS), oswestry disability index (ODI), and lumbago scores were recorded in the five groups before treatment, after each treatment, and in follow-up visits one month and three months after treatment. RESULTS: VAS, ODI, and lumbago scores after treatment improved in the five groups (P<0.01). There was a statistical difference (P<0.01) in the change of VAS scores by appearance of skin eruptions and scraping site. CONCLUSION: Scraping therapy can effectively alleviate lumbago symptoms. The appearance of skin eruptions and scraping therapy along channels can enhance the curative effect of scraping therapy.

Effect comparason of thermosensitive moxibustion and estazolam on anxiety and depression in the patients of insomnia differentiated as liver qi stagnation

Objective： To observe the effect of thermosensitive moxibustion on anxiety and depression in the patients of insomnia differentiated as liver qi stagnation.Methods： From January 2015 to January 2017, 60 patients of insomnia differentiated as liver qi stagnation were collected in Shijiazhuang Municipal Chinese Medicine Hospital. According to the random number table, the patients were randomized into a moxibustion group（30 cases） and an estazolam group（30 cases）. In the moxibustion group, the thermosensitive moxibustion was adopted alternatively to the bilateral yuan-source points of the liver and gallbladder meridians. In the estazolam group, estazolam, 1 mg was prescribed for oral administration before sleep every day. After 15-day treatments, the sleep quality, the severity of anxiety and depression and the therapeutic effects were observed before and after treatment in the two groups.Results： Before treatment, the differences were not significant in the scores of Pittsburgh sleep quality index（PSQI）, the self-rating anxiety scale（SAS） and the self-rating depression scale（SDS） between the two groups（all P〉0.05）. After treatment, the scores of PSQJ, SAS and SDS were all reduced remarkably as compared with those before treatment in the two groups（all P〈0.05）. PSQI score was（6.72 ±2.311）points in the moxibustion group and was（5.37 ±2.621） points in the estazolam group. SAS score was（31.76 ± 6.511） points in the moxibustion group and was（39.62 ± 4.371） points in the estazolam group.SDS score was（35.98 ±5.161） points in the moxibustion group and was（46.38 ±4.971） points in the estazolam group. After treatment, the scores of PSQI, SAS and SDS in the moxibustion group were reduced more remarkably as compared with the estazolam group, indicating the significant differences（all P 〈0.05）. After treatment, the scores of sleep efficacy and TCM symptoms were（72.65 ± 14.36） points and（69.36 ±4.28） points respectively in the moxibustion group, better than the estazolam group, indicating the significant differences（all P〈0.05）.Conclusion： The thermosensitive moxibustion at the yuan-source points of the liver and gallbladder meridians significantly improves the sleep quality, relieves the symptoms of anxiety and depression and enhances the therapeutic effects in the patients of insomnia differentiated as liver qi stagnation. Hence,this therapy deserves to be recommended in clinical practice.

Observation on therapeutic effect of aligned acupuncture for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation

Objective： To observe the clinical effects of aligned needling therapy for lumbar intervertebral disc herniation （LIDH）. Methods： A total of 80 cases with LIDH in conformity with the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into a treatment group or a control group by their visit order, 40 cases in each group. The points from the Governor Vessel, L1-L5 Jiaji （EX-B 2） points, from the first lateral line of the Bladder Meridian, Huantiao （GB 30）, Weizhong （BL 40） and Yanglingquan （GB 34） were selected for acupuncture in the treatment group. Shenshu （BL 23）, Dachangshu （BL 25）, Ashi （Extra） points and Weizhong （BL 40） were used for routine acupuncture in the control group. The clinical effects of the two groups after 2-course treatments and recurrence rates three months later were observed. The pain severity before and after treatments was assessed by visual analog scale （VAS）. The improvement of the patient＇s pathological situation was evaluated by the performance assessment of lumbar disease treatment from Japanese Orthopedic Association （JOA）. Results： After the treatment for two courses, there was no dropped-out case in the two groups. The curative rates and total effective rates were respectively 32.5% and 92.5% in the treatment group versus respectively 12.5% and 82.5% in the control group. The differences in the curative rates and total effective rates between the two groups were statistically significant （both P〈0.01）. After the treatment, VAS and JOA scores remarkably declined in the patients of the two groups, with statistical differences in comparison with those of the same group before treatment （both P〈0.05）. In follow-up check of three months, the recurrence rate was 10.7% in the cured and remarkably effective cases in the treatment group and was 29.4% in the control group. The recurrence rates of the two groups were statistically different （P〈0.05）. Conclusion： The aligned needling technique is remarkable in the clinical effects, obvious in the analgesic effects and low in the recurrence rate in the treatment of LIDH.

Effectiveness of two different acupuncture strategies in patients with vulvodynia Study protocol for a pilot pragmatic controlled trial

Background： Vulvodynia, or vulvar pain, is a common condition in women; however, there are few evidence-based clinical trials evaluating nonpharmacological therapies for this condition. Acupuncture is one complementary and integrative medicine therapy used by some patients with vulvodynia. This study evaluates two different acupuncture strategies for the treatment of vulvodynia and aims to evalu- ate whether either of the acupuncture protocols reduces vulvar pain, pain duration or pain with inter- course. The study also examines how long the effect of acupuncture lasts in women with vulvodynia. Methods/design： The study is designed as a randomized controlled trial, focused on two acupuncture protocols. Fifty-one patients who have had vulvodynia for more than 3 months will be recruited. Among them, 34 patients will be randomized into Groups la and 1b; those who are unwilling to receive acupuncture will be recruited into the standard care group （Group 2）. Patients in Group la will have acupuncture focused on the points in the pudendal nerve distribution area, while patients in Group lb will receive acupuncture focused on traditional （distal） meridian points. Patients in Group 2 will receive routine conventional treatments, such as using pain medications, local injections and physical therapies or other nonsurgical procedures. Acupuncture will last 45 min per session, once or twice a week for 6 weeks. The primary outcome measurement will be objective pain intensity, using the cotton swab test. The secondary outcome measurement will be subjective patient self-reported pain intensity, which will be conducted before cotton swab test. Pain intensities will be measured by an 11-point Numeric Pain Rating Scale. Pain duration and pain score during intercourse are recorded. Local muscle tension, tender- ness and trigger points （Ashi points） are also recorded. All measurements will be recorded at baseline （before the treatment）, at the end of each week during treatment and at the end of the 6weeks. Follow-up will be done 6 weeks following the last treatment. Discussion： Results of this trial will provide preliminary data on whether acupuncture provides better outcomes than nonacupuncture treatments, i.e., standard care, and whether acupuncture focused on the points in pudendal nerve distribution, near the pain area, has better results than traditional acupunc- ture focused on distal meridian points for vulvodynia.