Fu's subcutaneous needling for orthostatic hypotension due to Guillain-Barré syndrome: A case report

A 28-year-old female developed symptoms of frequent dizziness and occasional syncope while standing up,accompanied by paresthesia in her extremities and occasional constipation.She was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome(GBS).Her upright blood pressure was undetectable,and cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed protein-leukocyte separation.A nerve conduction study showed that the sensory nerves of her lower limbs had been injured,but the motor nerves were almost normal.She was treated with immunotherapy and hormonotherapy,which partially relieved her paresthesia and constipation.However,her orthostatic hypotension(OH) persisted after two months of treatment.After three courses of treatment consisting of Fu’s subcutaneous needling,OH significantly improved,with a much less pronounced decrease(<20 mmHg) in systolic blood pressure in the upright position than observed be fore treatment.She was sympto m-free and able to stand and walk for short distances after 3 months of follow-up.This case indicates that Fu’s subcutaneous needling treatment is effective for OH caused by GBS,and it may be a suitable alternative when conventional treatment does not produce ideal results.

Blinding effect of sham Fu's subcutaneous needling in a healthy population

Objective:Fu's subcutaneous needling(FSN)has been shown potential positive effectiveness in clinical practice.However,its specific effects are still not clear.This study aims to evaluate the blinding effect of a non-penetrating sham FSN needle,developed for the first time by the authors'research team in healthy participants.Furthermore,to provide a reliable control tool to assess the specific effects of FSN.Methods:We conducted a randomized,sham-controlled trial in 60 healthy participants divided into FSN group and sham FSN group in a 1:1 ratio.The participants were assessed according to blinding index(BI),pain intensity,sensation type and acceptability of needling.Results:The James'BI was(0.56,95%CI[0.45,0.67])for two groups.The Bang's BI was(0.50,95%CI[0.24,0.76])in the FSN group and(-0.36,95%CI[-0.67,-0.07])in the sham FSN group.There was no significant difference between needling pain intensity(P>0.05)and type of needling sensation.A total of 96.6%participants who received sham FSN and 86.6%participants who received FSN considered the needling acceptable or better.Conclusion:This study confirmed the effective blinding capability of the sham FSN needles in healthy participants,indicating that the novel non-penetrating sham FSN needle can be served as eligible control to evaluatethe specific effects of FSN.