Depression is a prevalent mental illness in developed countries. In Western medicine, experimental and clinical investigations have demonstrated that depression is associated with the dysregulation of neurotransmitter...Depression is a prevalent mental illness in developed countries. In Western medicine, experimental and clinical investigations have demonstrated that depression is associated with the dysregulation of neurotransmitter signaling, and symptoms of depression can be alleviated by therapeutic intervention. However, patients taking antidepressant drugs often experience serious side effects and high relapse rates. On the other hand, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) views depression as a manifestation of liver qi stagnation. Practitioners of TCM have long been treating depression with herbs that promote qi circulation in the liver. In this article, we offer a hypothesis stating the biochemical basis of the linkage between liver qi stagnation and depression. Liver qi is involved in the processing of macronutrients into molecules to fuel energy metabolism in brain neurons, as well as the synthesis of plasma proteins that maintain blood circulation to the brain, thereby enabling these fuel molecules to be delivered to the brain. In cases of liver qi stagnation, the failure in delivering sufficient fuel molecules to the brain disrupts mitochondrial ATP production in neurons. Because neurotransmitter release and neurotropin transport are driven by ATP, the deficiency in release and transport processes resulting from insufficient ATP production could lead to depression. Therefore, if liver qi stagnation is causally related to the pathogenesis of depression, the promotion of liver qi circulation by Chinese herbs might offer a promising prospect for the effective treatment of depression.展开更多
Objective:To observe the curative effect of the complementary and alternative therapies in relieving insomnia for cancer patients.Method:According to the principle of randomization,with meeting the inclusion criteria,...Objective:To observe the curative effect of the complementary and alternative therapies in relieving insomnia for cancer patients.Method:According to the principle of randomization,with meeting the inclusion criteria,the 60 patients who were diagnosed as insomnia caused by liver qi stagnation were randomly divided into the control group and the intervention group.The intervention group(30 individuals treated with mini-needle therapy combined with TCM five elements music),the control group(30 individuals who were treated with single mini-needle therapy),the body buried needle 24 hours/time,5 times for a course of treatment,interval of 2 days between 2 courses,a total of 8 needles embedded.Pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI)scores of 2 groups were analyzed using SPSS19.0 statistical software.Results:The total effective rate was 86.1%in the intervention group,and 75.9%in the control group,the difference was statistically significant between 2 groups(P<0.05).The comparison of the PSQI score between the 2 groups propost treatment showed that there were statistically significant differences(P<0.05).The reduction rate of PSQI in the intervention group was 31.7%,indicating that 31.7%was effective,while 23.1%in the control group was ineffective.Conclusion:The mini-needle therapy combined with TCM five elements music could relieve insomnia caused by qi stagnation of liver in patients with advanced cancer.展开更多
基金General Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China （No.81473370）, Guangxi Traditional Chinese medicine Zhuang Yao medicine research and development talent team construction, （No. Gui Jiao AD16380013）, Nanning Science and Technology Plan Project （Project Number： 20133158）
文摘Depression is a prevalent mental illness in developed countries. In Western medicine, experimental and clinical investigations have demonstrated that depression is associated with the dysregulation of neurotransmitter signaling, and symptoms of depression can be alleviated by therapeutic intervention. However, patients taking antidepressant drugs often experience serious side effects and high relapse rates. On the other hand, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) views depression as a manifestation of liver qi stagnation. Practitioners of TCM have long been treating depression with herbs that promote qi circulation in the liver. In this article, we offer a hypothesis stating the biochemical basis of the linkage between liver qi stagnation and depression. Liver qi is involved in the processing of macronutrients into molecules to fuel energy metabolism in brain neurons, as well as the synthesis of plasma proteins that maintain blood circulation to the brain, thereby enabling these fuel molecules to be delivered to the brain. In cases of liver qi stagnation, the failure in delivering sufficient fuel molecules to the brain disrupts mitochondrial ATP production in neurons. Because neurotransmitter release and neurotropin transport are driven by ATP, the deficiency in release and transport processes resulting from insufficient ATP production could lead to depression. Therefore, if liver qi stagnation is causally related to the pathogenesis of depression, the promotion of liver qi circulation by Chinese herbs might offer a promising prospect for the effective treatment of depression.
文摘Objective:To observe the curative effect of the complementary and alternative therapies in relieving insomnia for cancer patients.Method:According to the principle of randomization,with meeting the inclusion criteria,the 60 patients who were diagnosed as insomnia caused by liver qi stagnation were randomly divided into the control group and the intervention group.The intervention group(30 individuals treated with mini-needle therapy combined with TCM five elements music),the control group(30 individuals who were treated with single mini-needle therapy),the body buried needle 24 hours/time,5 times for a course of treatment,interval of 2 days between 2 courses,a total of 8 needles embedded.Pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI)scores of 2 groups were analyzed using SPSS19.0 statistical software.Results:The total effective rate was 86.1%in the intervention group,and 75.9%in the control group,the difference was statistically significant between 2 groups(P<0.05).The comparison of the PSQI score between the 2 groups propost treatment showed that there were statistically significant differences(P<0.05).The reduction rate of PSQI in the intervention group was 31.7%,indicating that 31.7%was effective,while 23.1%in the control group was ineffective.Conclusion:The mini-needle therapy combined with TCM five elements music could relieve insomnia caused by qi stagnation of liver in patients with advanced cancer.
