Clinical efficacy of opposing needling in the treatment of migraine with the symptom of ascendant hyperactivity of liver yang and its effect on NO level in plasma of patients

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of opposing needling for the treatment of migraine with the symptom of hyperactivity of liver yang type and its effect on NO level in plasma of patients. Methods Atotal of 60 migraine patients with the symptom of hyperactivity of liver yang who met the inclusive criteria were randomly divided into a opposing needling group （group A） and a routine acupuncture group （group B） by using SPSS 15.0 software according to the registration order with 30 patients in each group. Patients in group A were treated with opposing needling. Taich6ng （太冲 LR 3）, Zhongzhu （中渚 TE 3）, ZOlfnqi （足临泣 GB 41） and QiOxu （丘墟 GB 40） in the uninjured side were selected. After deqi, reducing method was used. Then Taixi （太溪 KI 3） in the uninjured side was selected. After deqi, rein forcing method was used. Needles were retained for 30 rain. Patients in group B were treated with routine acupuncture. Local Ash point, Sishncong （ 四神聪EX-HN1）, Yifeng （翳风 TE 17）, Fengchi （风池 GB 20）, Sizhukong （丝竹空 TE 23）, Shuaigu （率谷GB 8）, Hegu （合谷 LI 4） and LiEque （列缺 LU 7） were selected. After puncturing, reducing method was used routinely and needles were retained for 30 rain. After 2 weeks treatment, migraine specific quality of life questionnaire （MSQ）, visual analogue scale （VAS） and nitric oxide （NO） level in plasma of patients in two groups were observed. Results After treatment, the MSQ, VAS and NO of two groups were significantly improved compared with those before treatment. After treatment, score of MSQ functional limitation was 73.41±10.22 in group A and 60.95 ± 10.15 in group B; the score of MSQ dysfunction was 86.11 ±8.22 in group A and 75.45±8.34 in group B; score of MSQ emotion was 80.51±10.16 in group A and 75.01± 10.20 in group B. The improvements of group A were superior to those of group B, and the differences were all statistically significant （all P〈0.05）. After treatment, the VAS score was 0.93 ± 1.25 in group A and 2.17± 1.70 in group B. The improvement of group A was superior to that of group B, and the difference was statistically significant （P〈0.05）. After treatment, blood plasma NO level was （42.15 ± 16.15） μmol/L in group A and （62.76±15.17） μmol/L in group B. The improvement of group A was superior to that of group B, and the difference was statistically significant （P〈0.05）. Overall response rate was 86.7% （26/30） in group A and 53.3% （16/30） in group B, and the difference between two groups was statistically significant （P〈0.05）. Conclusion Opposing needling is an effective method for the treatment of migraine with the symptom of hyperactivity of liver yong. Its mechanism is to regulate the generation of NO in migraine patients, and improve the relaxation and contraction of cerebral vascular smooth muscle, so as to adjust the cerebral circulation.

Contralateral needling at the foot of unaffected side combining with rehabilitation treatment for motor dysfunction of hand after ischemic stroke:study protocol for a randomized controlled pilot trial

This pilot study is to assess the feasibility and the effect of a combination therapy of rehabilitation treatment and contralateral needling,which is manipulated at the foot of the unaffected side,for the recovery of the paretic hand post-stroke.This prospective pilot clinical trial will recruit 72 stroke patients with paretic hands and a disease course of 14 to 90 d.Patients will be randomized into two groups:the control group will receive conventional Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture and basic treatment for the stroke;based on the control group,the observation group will receive the contralateral needling at the foot of the unaffected side combined with the rehabilitation movement of the paretic hand.12 sessions will be administrated for 2 weeks.The primary outcome,FuglMeyer Assessment,and the secondary outcomes,the handgrip strength,the range of motion,the modified Barthel index,and the Brunnstrom recovery stages,will be measured the recovery of the hand motor function during the 2 weeks'intervention.This study aims to investigate the instant effect of contralateral needling at the foot of the unaffected side combined with the rehabilitation treatment movement for patients with the paretic hand of Poststroke motor dysfunction and provide the previous evidence for the future large sample studies.

Contralateral Needling Method and Its Applications in Treating Upper-limb Pain

Contralateral Needling is an ancient needling method recorded in Nei Jing （Inner Canon）. It said in the Guan Zhen chapter of Ling Shu （chapter of needling technique of Spiritual Pivot） that contralateral needling is to needle the points on contralateral side to the affected side of the body.

Clinical Observation on Acupuncture Treatment for Post-stroke Spastic Hemiplegia

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of contralateral needling plus rehabilitation for post-stroke spastic hemiplegia. Methods:Thirty-six patients with post-stroke spastic hemiplegia were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group, 18 cases in each group. The two groups were all given rehabilitation training. The contralateral needling was adopted in the treatment group on the acupoints group of brain-refreshing and orifice-opening needling method. The routine acupuncture was applied in the control group on the same acupoints. Respectively before and after the treatment, the modified Ashworth scale (MAS) and clinical spasticity index (CSI) were used to assess the therapeutic effects. Results:The total effective rate was 94.4% in the treatment group and 67.7% in the control group, with a statistical difference in comparison of the two groups (P<0.05). In comparison of MAS and CSI scores after the treatment between the treatment group and control group, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion:The contralateral needling plus rehabilitation training is an effective method for the treatment of post-stroke spastic hemiplegia.