ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe clinical therapeutic effect of mild-warm moxibustion on diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and to probe the mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty cases of DPN were randomly divided into a mild-warm moxibustion group, an acupuncture group and a medication group, 20 cases in each group. In the mild-warm moxibustion group and the acupuncture group, the same points, Shenshu (BL 23), Pishu (BL 20), Zusanli (ST 36), Yongquan (KI 1), etc. were selected; and the medication group were treated with Mecobalamin tablets. Their therapeutic effects and changes of fasting blood-glucose (FBG), glycosylated hematoglobin (GHB), hemorheological indexes, plasma endothelin (ET), nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) before and after treatment were investigated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total effective rate was 90.0%, FBG, GHB, hemorheological indexes, plasma ET, NO and MDA significantly improved in the mild-warm moxibustion group (P < 0.01), with no significant difference as compared with those in the acupuncture group (P > 0.05), but with a significant difference as compared with the medication group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Mild-warm moxibustion has definite therapeutic effect on diabetic peripheral neuropathy, which is better than that of Mecobalamin.</p>