Treatment of Retinal Vein Obstruction with Acupuncture and Chinese Medicinal Herbs

We have treated thirty-two cases (52 eyes) of retinal vein obstruction by acupuncture and oral administration of Huo Xue Ming Mu Decoction. The total effective rate of 90.38% demonstrated that the treatment was definitely effective.

Effects of acupuncture combined with Kaijingtongmai Decoction on ATP sensitive potassium channel related proteins Kir6.1 and Kir6.2 in myocardial infarction rats

Objective:To study the effect of combination of acupuncture and medicine on the expression of ATP sensitive potassium channel related proteins Kir6.1 and Kir6.2 in rats with myocardial infarction,and to study the possible mechanism of combination of acupuncture and medicine on the improvement of myocardial infarction,so as to provide experimental data basis for the development of new treatment methods for myocardial infarction.Methods:65 healthy male SD rats were randomly selected as the control group.The other rats were fed with high-fat food for three weeks.The rats in the control group were injected with normal saline subcutaneously,and the other rats were injected with isoproterenol hydrochloride in the same way.Through ECG comparison,40 successful Mi rats were randomly divided into model group,acupuncture group,western medicine group and acupuncture drug combination group,with 10 rats in each group.After the corresponding treatment,the ECG changes of rats in each group were observed,the pathological changes of rat cardiomyocytes were observed by HE staining,and the expression of ATP sensitive potassium channel(Kir6.1,Kir6.2)protein was detected by Western blot.Results:compared with the control group,40 experimental specimens in the experimental group showed significant changes in cardiomyocyte protein The expression of Kir6.1 and Kir6.2 increased,and the difference was statistically significant.After treatment,compared with the model group,the protein expression of Kir6.1 and Kir6.2 in cardiomyocytes of Western medicine group,acupuncture group and acupuncture drug combination group showed a downward trend,among which the decline degree of acupuncture drug combination group was the most obvious,and the difference was statistically significant.The decline degree of acupuncture group and Western medicine group was not significant,and there was no significant difference Conclusion:acupuncture combined with medicine has a significant effect on improving myocardial infarction in rats,which may be related to the expression of ATP sensitive potassium channel related proteins Kir6.1 and Kir6.2 in rat cardiomyocytes.

Effect of acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine on the expression of interstitial cells of Cajal, substance P and nerve nitric oxide synthase in diabetic mice with gastroparesis antrum

Objective To explore the effect of acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine on expression of interstitial cells of Cajal（ICC）, substance P（SP） and nerve nitric oxide synthase（nNOS） in diabetic gastroparesis mice. Methods Eighty Kunming male mice were randomly divided into normal group（group A, 15 mice）, diabetic gastroparesis model mice group（group B, 12 mice）, acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine group（group C, 12 mice）, Chinese medicine group（group D, 13 mice） and western medicine group（group E, 13 mice）. The mice were intraperitoneally injected with steptozotocin and fed with high-fat diet-induced irregular except the normal group mice, that made mouse model of diabetic gastroparesis. And then, the ACM group were treated by acupuncture at the acupoints of Housanli（后三里 ST 36） and Zhōngw n（中脘 CV 12） combined with Chinese medicine, the CM group were only treated by Chinese medicine; the WM group were treated by domperidone and vitamin B 6. Numbers and expression of ICC, SP and n NOS were detected by immunohistochemical methods. Results After treatment, compared with normal group, ICC and SP indexes of model group were significantly reduced. Compared with model group, all indexes in ACM and CM groups were improved significantly（P0.05, P0.01）, but only the positive area and average optical density value in c-Kit and SP in WM group increased obviously（P0.05）. Compared with ACM group, no significant difference in c-Kit and SP of CM group were observed（P0.05）, but expression of nNOS were increased markedly（P0.01）. Besides, c-Kit and SP expressions of WM group were significantly induced was increased remarkably（P0.01）. Conclusion Acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine have much better therapeutic effects for diabetic gastroparesis mice, which may be due to repairing ICC damage, upregulating the expression of SP and lowering the expression of nNOS.

Treatment of anovulatory infertility with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine

Objective To observe the therapeutic effects on anovulatory infertility with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Methods Fifty patients with anovulatory infertility were divided randomly into 2 groups with 25 in the observation group and 25 in the control group. Both herbal decoctions and acupuncture treatment were applied to the observation group. For Chinese herbal medicine, according to different phases of menstrual cycle, Cu Luanpao Tang （促卵泡汤 follicle promote decoction）, Cu Pailuan Tang （促卵泡汤 ovulation induce decoction） and Cu Huangti Tang （促黄体汤 corpora luteum promote decoction） was given to the patients; and acupoints such as Guanyuan （关元 CV 4）, Zhongji （ 中极 CV 3） and LuSnchao Xue（卵巢穴 Extra point） were selected. The control group was asked to take Clomiphene as well as Chorionic Gonadotropin （HCG） injection. Observation is undertaken continuously for 6 cycles, and statistics of ovulation rate and pregnancy rate were collected. Results There were no statistical significance of difference of ovulation rate between the two groups（P〉0.05） ; the pregnancy rate of the observation group is 44. 0%（11/25）, which is obviously higher than 16.0% （4/25） of the control group （P〈0.05）. Comparison was made on Insler score of the cervical mucus and thickness of the endometrium between the 2 groups, and the result showed that both of the indexes of the observation group were better than those of the control group （P〈0.05, P〈0.01）. Conclusion Both of the methods, namely ovulation induction with acupuncture and herbal decoctions and with Clomiphene and HCG injection, are effective for enhancing the ovulation rate, while the former one is better than the later one in the pregnancy rate.

Mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of allergic rhinitis

Objective To review the major progress in mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in the treatment of allergic rhinitis （AR）. Methods Contents about the treatment mechanism of TCM in the therapy of AR in this article were obtained from 22 original articles and reviews published in Chinese- and English-language journals. All of the references were searched by use of Pubmed （1997-2012）. Results AR is one of the most common and most serious public health problems in children and young people. Many AR patients were worried about the possible adverse effects of synthetic drugs they were taking. Thus, they seek complementary and alternative therapy, such as TCM. TCM emphasized on the importance of holistic convalescence, not just the disease itself. The favorable safety profile of TCM makes well-acceptance by the general population. In the recent decade, more and more studies of TCM for AR are developed. These studies indicated that the treatment of allergic disorders with TCM therapy including herbal medicines and acupuncture are of safety and efficacy. The mechanism of TCM in the treatment of AR has been discussed. It has been reported that a number of the herbs in the Chinese herbal formulae used in the treatment possess anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory or immune modulation activity. Such function include the inhibition of the release or the activity of mast cell mediators （such as histamine）, inhibition the induction of inflammation reaction by chemical agents, and down regulation of serum （immunoglobulin E） IgE levels or the activity of lymphocyte and/or macrophage. Conclusions TCM are frequently used concurrently to improve the clinical efficacy. This review is focuses on the description of the actions mechanism of Chinese medicine＇s approach relevant to the treatment of AR.

A General Description for Chinese Medicine in Treating Premature Ovarian Failure

Premature ovarian failure（POF） is a kind of gynecological disease that causes amenorrhea, infertility, menopause and urogenital symptoms. Currently hormone replacement therapy（HRT） is the most popular choice for women with POF to get rid of menopausal syndrome. However, as the popularization of Chinese herbs made Chinese medicine（CM） shine new lights, physicians are able to treat POF with both meno-herbs and integrated therapy. HRT has its own indications and contraindications. For example, unexplained vaginal bleeding, acute liver damage, liver dysfunction, vascular embolization, and breast cancer are all contraindications of HRT, and CM is taken by more physicians as an adjuvant therapy. This review, including a range of common Chinese herbs and formulations according to the existing literature, provides a general description of CM treating POF from the aspects of mechanisms and clinical application. It also highlights acupuncture as a unique physiotherapy for POF. Although the validity of CM has been supported by the evidence of many preclinical trials, clinical trials and meta-analysis, the adverse events with CM therapy still exist and no guarantee has been made for its safety. This review concludes the updated information for CM treating POF contributing to further studies.e

COMBINED TREATMENT OF 43 CASES OF CERVICAL SPONDYLOPATHY

From February of 1994 to February of 1996, the author of the present paper adopted combined therapies of potent traction, massage, acupuncture and Chinese medicinal herbs to treat 43 cases of cervical spondylopathy. Results showed that after 1-3 months’ treatment, of the 43 cases, 30 (69.8%) were cured, 10 (23.3%) had marked improvement, 2 (4.6%) had improvement and 1 (2.3%) failed, with an effective rate of 97.7%.

Which Research Is Needed to Support Clinical Decision-Making on Integrative Medicine?——Can Comparative Effectiveness Research Close the Gap?

In clinical research on complementary and integrative medicine, experts and scientists have often pursued a research agenda in spite of an incomplete understanding of the needs of end users. Consequently, the majority of previous clinical trials have mainly assessed the efficacy of interventions. Scant data is available on their effectiveness. Comparative effectiveness research （CER） promises to support decision makers by generating evidence that compares the benefits and harms of the best care options. This evidence, more generalizable than the evidence generated by traditional randomized controlled trials （RCTs）, is better suited to inform real-world care decisions. An emphasis on CER supports the development of the evidence base for clinical and policy decision-making. Whereas in most areas of complementary and integrative medicine data on comparative effectiveness is scarce, available acupuncture research already contributes to CER evidence. This paper wil introduce CER and make suggestions for future research.

To Be,Or Not To Be:The Calculated Politics of Acupuncture in JAMA

Ten acupuncture-related articles were published in The Journal of the American Medical Association（JAMA） between 1998 and 2017. Five studies showed positive results in terms of the effectiveness of acupuncture/Chinese medicine（CM）; five studies showed negative results. This article summarizes the acupuncturerelated clinical trials published over the last 20 years in JAMA, and addresses what seems to be a fundamental ambivalence in Western medical journals regarding the scientific validity of acupuncture/CM. As yet there has been no consensus on the role of acupuncture in healthcare in Western countries. This is hardly surprising, considering the conflicting evidence found in published studies. Skepticism regarding acupuncture/CM is largely grounded in the fact that an accurate model for assessing the true clinical effects of acupuncture has yet to be created. This article discusses some of the pitfalls which result from applying Western-based scientific principles to CM, and suggests that in many cases, ＂negative＂ studies have been misinterpreted. The clinical experience of acupuncture practitioners is often in direct conflict with many of the negative conclusions published in journals. We are in need of an accurate model for sham and placebo treatments, and must analyze all published studies for design flaws and faulty conclusions.

Mortality and recurrence of vascular disease among stroke patients treated with combined TCM therapy

OBJECTIVE:To confirm the long-term outcomes of stroke patients and determine predicting factors for death,recurrence of vascular events and poor outcome(either recurrence or death) after the use of combined TCM therapy.METHODS:This was a retrospective hospital-based cohort study and was performed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Tianjin.All subjects with stroke consecutively admitted to an inpatient ward of the Acupuncture Department from January 1,2008,to December 31,2008 were retrospectively followed through one year.The main outcomes were either a recurrence of vascular events,,mortality or both.Risk factors were recorded from medical records.Multivariate regression models were used to analyze predictors.The following independent variables were used:age,gender,hypertension,ischemic heart disease,atrial fibrillation,diabetes mellitus,carotid arterial lesions and history of stroke.RESULTS:Four-hundred and five patients were included.The 1-year mortality rate was 11.11%.23.70% of the patients had a recurrent vascular event,and 30.86% suffered a poor outcome.Multiple logistic regression analysis found that previous stroke,and advanced age were predictors of death within one year,Recurrence of vascular events was associated with carotid arterial lesions,history of diabetes and previous stroke.Long-term poor outcome was predicted by advanced age,history of diabetes,and previous stroke.CONCLUSION:Age,previous stroke,carotid arterial lesions and diabetes history seem to have different impacts on the three outcomes within one year.Our findings provide important data for planning future hospital register studies of stroke patients in TCM hospitals.