Effect and Safety of Penetrating Moxibustion in Treatment of Migraine without Aura:A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective To observe the clinical effect of penetrating moxibustion on migraine without aura(MO)patients.Methods Totally 60 MO patients from the Acupuncture Clinic of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine were collected from November 2015 to February 2017.All patients were assigned to a treatment group and a control group using a random number table,30 cases in each group.The treatment group was treated with penetrating moxibustion,and the control group was treated with mild moxibustion,thrice a week for 4 consecutive weeks.The total effective rate,Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)scores,headache intensity,and Migraine Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire(MSQ)scores of patients after treatment were compared between the two groups.The moxibustion sensation and reaction after moxibustion were observed,and the adverse reactions were evaluated.All patients were followed up at 4 and 16 weeks after treatment.Results The total effective rate of the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the control group(93.33%vs.80.00%,P<0.05).The improvement of VAS scores,headache intensity,and the role restrictive and role preventive scores in MSQ in the treatment group was better than those in the control group(P<0.05).The person-time of moxibustion sensations of itching,numbness and cold as well as flushing and sweating after moxibustion in the treatment group was all significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.01).There was no significant difference in safety evaluation between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusions Penetrating moxibustion can significantly relieve pain and improve quality of life of MO patients.After penetrating moxibustion,flushing and sweating of patients were obvious,and the curative effect was superior to the mild moxibustion.

Temperature variation during penetration moxibustion on abdomen

Objective To seek safe, effective and popular penetration moxibustion therapy through exploring the optimum duration and temperature of penetration moxibustion by means of observing the relationship among the duration, temperature and effect of moxibustion on abdomen. Methods Thirty-two healthy persons were selected as subjects, and moxibustion was performed, centering on navels, on their abdomens. The temperature of moxibustion box was recorded once a minute since the beginning of moxibustion, and other items, including the temperature and time at which and when the subject felt heated, the temperature at which the subject felt reduced, temperature reduction time, temperature difference on the skin, time course of penetration moxibustion and subject＇s reaction, were also recorded. Results Among32 subjects, 2 dropped out from the study; flushing was shown on 30 subjects, sweating on 7, brindle on 5, and reaction on 7. The time course of penetration moxibustion was（28.37±2.37） min, the temperature at which the subject felt heated was（35.79±0.85） ℃, and the temperature at which the subject felt reduced was（44.23±1.62） ℃. Conclusion 1 During the course of penetration moxibustion, sense of warmth penetrate into abdominal cavity and waist from epidermis, and penetrate into head upwards and knee downwards;2 flushing, sweating and brindle are the important indices for the effect of penetration moxibustion; 3 penetration moxibustion can be lasted for 28–32 min, and the temperature should be controlled at 43–45 ℃, so as to not only reduce the impact of smoke on the indoor environment, but also make patients feel no pain.

透灸法成功治疗产后子宫复旧不良:两则病例报告及机制分析

This article introduced the application of penetration moxibustion in successfully treating two cases of postpartum subinvolution of uterus.The main complaint of one case was increasing volume of abnormal vaginal bleeding for five days after delivery.The bleeding stopped after the patient received 7 times treatment of warming needle and penetration moxibustion on Zhongji(CV3),Guanyuan(CV4)and Qihai(CV6).The other case complained about persistent abdominal pain for 15 days,which was worsening for the recent 2 days.The symptom of abdominal pain was relieved after the penetration moxibustion was applied on CV4,CV6 and Zigong(EX-CA1)for 5 times for the case.Penetration moxibustion can relieve abdominal pain during the postpartum period,accelerate lochia discharge,and recovery of menstrual and uterine cavity.Artemisiae Argyi Folium was proved to have antibacterial,hemostatic,and analgesic effects.The warming function and radiation features of moxibustion can help to alleviate spasm of the smooth muscle in the uterus and enhance the metabolism of the uterine tissue by expanding microvessels and improving the circulations of both blood and lymph.It can also activate cells in the uterine tissue by increased temperature in order to enhance the decomposition and elimination of pathological wastes,such as inflammation and hematoma.In addition,it can also relieve pelvic pain by inhibiting neuronal excitability.

Case report of seborrheic dermatitis

One case of seborrheic dermatitis,male patient,aged 73 years is reported.After treated with acupuncture,penetrating moxibustion and bloodletting therapies,skin lesions on the neck and shoulder regions disappeared,the epidermis returned to normal and itching disappeared.There was no recurrence in the follow-up visit 3 months later.Hence,acupuncture,combined with penetrating moxibustion and bloodletting has a definite effect on this case in the patient and it is worthy of promotion and application in clinical practice.