Combination of acupuncture, cupping and medicine for treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome: a multi-central randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical effect of combination of acupuncture, cupping and medicine for treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>By using multi-central randomized controlled method, 186 cases were randomly divided into an acupuncture combined with cupping and western medicine group (group A), an acupuncture combined with cupping group (group B) and a western medicine group (group C) and treated continuously for 4 weeks. The treatment of acupuncture combined with cupping was produced by acupuncture at five mental points and moving cupping on the Hechelu of the back, once evrey other day, thrice each week, and the western medicine therapy by oral administration of Amitriptyline, once each day. The scores of McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), the amount of tenderness point and the time of producing effect were compared and the therapeutic effects were assessed with the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The cured and markedly effective rate was 65.0% (39/60) in the group A, which was superior to 15.9% (10/63) in the group B and 16.1% (9/56) in the group C (both P < 0.001). After treatment, the scores of MPQ and HAMD and the amount of tenderness point all decreased in the three groups, group A being significantly better than group B and group C, and the time of producing effect in the group A was more earlier than those in the group B and the group C.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The therapeutic effect of combination of acupuncture, cupping and medicine on fibromyalgia syndrome is superior to that of the simple acupuncture combined with cupping or the simple medicine.</p>

Study on the epidemiology and risk factors on dysphagia after ischemic stroke in Chengdu City, China / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the incidence and the risk factors of dysphagia after ischemic stroke in Chengdu City, China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Review was made with unified questionnaire on dysphagia after ischemic stroke in 563 patients from four hospitals, from January to December 2005. Over 20 risk factors related to dysphagia after ischemic stroke were analyzed by logistic regression.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total incidence of dysphagia after ischemic stroke was 13.3% in Chengdu. Data from logistic regression analysis indicated that gender, morbidity frequency, basal nuclei, periventricular lesion, hypertension, pneumonia, hyperlipemia, cervical spondylosisi, internal carotid artherosclerosis were closely related to dysphagia after ischemic stroke,with OR values as 0.416, 0.489, 0.327, 0.454, 2.187, 2.146, 0.352, 0.242 and 0.273 respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The total incidence was lower than literature published from home and abroad. Gender, morbidity frequency, basal nuclei, periventricular lesion, hypertension, pneumonia, hyperlipemia, cervical spondylosisi and internal carotid artherosclerosis seemed to be risk factors to dysphagia after ischemic stroke.</p>

Clinical study on combination of acupuncture, cupping and medicine for treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the therapeutic effect of acupuncture at five mental points and moving cupping on the Hechelu of the back on fibromyalgia syndrome (FS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-six cases who conformed to the criteria were randomly divided into the treatment group treated with acupuncture at five mental points, moving cupping on the Hechelu of the back and amitriptyline, and the control group treated with amitriptyline. Clinical therapeutic effects were assessed with McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and HAMD depression scale.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The therapeutic effect of the treatment group was better than that of the control group with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Combination of acupuncture with cupping therapy is an effective therapy for fibromyalgia syndrome.</p>

Observation on therapeutic effect of warming needle moxibustion on knee osteoarthritis of deficiency-cold type / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare clinically therapeutic effects of warming needle moxibustion and simple acupuncture on knee osteoarthritis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and twenty cases conformed with the diagnostic criteria of knee osteoarthritis with TCM kidney-yang deficiency and cold syndrome were randomly divided into a warming needle moxibustion group and a simple acupuncture group. Guanyuan (CV 4), Qihai (CV 6), Zusanli (ST 36) and others were selected in the two groups. Their therapeutic effects were assessed with joint pain scale, knee osteoarthritis severity index scale and cold syndrome differentiation factors.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Both warming needle moxibustion and simple acupuncture could alleviate pain of knee osteoarthritis, improve dysfunction of the knee joint, reduce symptoms. The clinically basic cured rate and the total effective rate were 32.1% and 96.4% in the warming needle moxibustion group, which were better than 7.4% and 92.6% in the simple acupuncture group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Warming needle moxibustion is an effective therapy for knee osteoarthritis with kidney-yang deficiency and cold type.</p>

Controlled study on treatment of cervical spondylopathy of the nerve root type with acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To probe into clinical value of comprehensive program of acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main for treatment of cervical spondylopathy of the nerve root type.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Five centers, single blind, randomized controlled method were used, 660 cases were divided into a treatment group of 317 cases and a control group of 311 cases. They were treated respectively with comprehensive program of acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main, and comprehensive program of physical therapy as main. Establish syndrome detection scale and multiply dimensional effect assessment indexes, and evaluate the therapeutic effects and safety.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The cured rate, the cured-markedly effective rate were 42.9%, 64.4% in the treatment group, respectively, better than 16.7%, 36.3% in the control group (P<0.01); after treatment of 2 weeks, clinical symptoms improved in the both groups, but the treatment group was better than the control group in the improvement degrees of neck-shoulder-limb pain, neck rigidity, abnormality of cervical anteflexion, etc. (P<0.01 or P<0.05); the treatment group was shorter than the control group in the time of producing the effect and therapeutic course (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Comprehensive program of acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main is safe and effective for treatment of cervical spondylopathy, with a better therapeutic effect compared with the comprehensive program of physical therapy.</p>

Controlled observation on electroacupuncture combined with cake-separated moxibustion for treatment of tennis elbow / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore an effective method for treatment of tennis elbow.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and twenty-eight cases were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group, 64 cases in each group. The treatment group were treated by electroacupuncture at Hegu (LI 4) and Taichong (LR 3), combined with cake-seperated moxibustion at Ashi points and Shousanli (LI 10) in the affected elbow, and the control group by routine block treatment of 1 mL lidocane and 25 mg prednisone.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The cured rate and the effective rate were 40.6% and 93.7% in the treatment group, and 25.0% and 78.1% in the control group, respectively, with a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Electroacupuncture combined with cake-separated moxibustion is an effective method for tennis elbow.</p>

Clinical observation on moving cupping therapy combined with moxibustion for treatment of senile habitual constipation / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore an effective method for treatment of senile habitual constipation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-four cases were randomly divided into a treatment group treated with moving cupping at Hechelu plus Shenque (CV 8) Bazhenxue moxibustion, and a control group with oral administration of Tab phenolphthaleinum, 32 cases in each group. Improvement of constipation in the patients were observed and compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The short-term (14 days) clinical cured-markedly effective rate was 84.4% in the treatment group, which was significantly better than 59.4% of the control group (P < 0.05), and there was a significant difference between the two groups in the long-term (2 months) therapeutic effect (P < 0. 01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Moving cupping at the Hechelu combined with Shenque (CV 8) Bazhenxue moxibustion is an effective method for senile habitual constipation.</p>

Efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion in treating Bell's palsy: a multicenter randomized controlled trial in China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Bell's palsy involves acute facial paralysis due to inflammation of the facial nerve. Acupuncture and moxibustion (acu-moxi) is beneficial in treating facial palsy. In order to verify the efficacy of acu-moxi on Bell's palsy, a randomized single-blind, multicenter clinical trial was performed.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 480 patients from four clinical centers were involved in this trial, of whom 439 completed the trial and 41 did not. All patients were randomly assigned to either the control group or to one of two treatment groups. The control group was treated with prednisone, vitamin B1, vitamin B12, and dibazole; the treatment groups were treated either with acu-moxi alone or in combination with prednisone, Vitamin B1, vitamin B12, and dibazole. Symptoms and signs, the House-Brackmann scale, and facial disability index (FDI) scores were assessed and determined both pre- and post-treatment to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment methods.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The characteristics of the control and two treatment groups were comparable without statistically significant differences before treatment. There were significant differences between the control and treatment groups after treatment (chi(2) = 15.265, P = 0.018). According to evaluations based on the House-Brackmann scale and FDI scores, the effectiveness of treatment in the two treatment groups was better than in the control group and was most effective in patients receiving acu-moxi treatment alone (Z = -2.827, P = 0.005).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The efficacy of acu-moxi treatment for Bell's palsy is verified scientifically.</p>