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.