Review and reflection on 2010' Hwato Cup National University Students' Acupuncture Manipulation Skills Competition / 中国针灸

The questionnaire and the result of 2010' Hwato Cup National University Students' Acupuncture Manipulation Skills Competition were analyzed in this paper. It was showed that the competition achieved the significant effects of enhancing acupuncture manipulation skills for the university students and promoting the standardization on teaching acupuncture manipulation skills. The teachers and students were not very satisfied with the current acupuncture manipulation skill education. In the competition, only the item of reciting the classics achieved more than 90 scores, which just displayed the memory ability. The results of the manipulation competition were generally not very high. It is suggested that concerning to teaching acupuncture and moxibustion in the future, the ratio of class time for improving the practice ability on the human body should be increased and the practice on some manipulation techniques such as inserting the needle by holding the needle tip with the pressing hand, reinforcing-reducing technique by twirling and rotating the needle and warming needle technique should be intensified. It is necessary to enhance the interpretation, emphasis and supplementation on the keys and details of some manipulations of acupuncture and moxibustion.

Knee osteoarthritis treated with moxibustion: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the efficacy of moxibustion on the improvement in pain, stiffness and motor disturbance for the patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and evaluate the effectiveness and safety of moxibustion therapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty-nine cases of knee OA were randomly divided into a moxibustion group (31 cases) and a placebo moxibustion group (28 cases), in which moxa cone and placebo moxa sticker were applied to Neixiyan (EX-LE 4), Dubi (ST 35) and Ashi points separately, 3 cones on each point in each treatment. The treatment was given once every two days, 3 times per week, continuously for 6 weeks. The follow-up visit was performed in 6 weeks after the end of treatment. The Western Ontario and Mcmaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and the time of 46-meter walking at the fastest speed were adopted to evaluate the recovery of joint function. UT-325 digital thermal detector was used to record the temperature change at the most apparent pain points of knee joint before and after moxibustion treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In moxibustion group, the scores in WOMAC were reduced apparently in 3 and 6 weeks treatment and during follow-up visit, separately (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.001). In placebo moxibustion group, during follow-up visit, the score of stiffness was lower as compared with that before treatment (P < 0.05). In 6 weeks of treatment and during follow-up visit, the scores of pain, stiffness and motor disturbance in moxibustion group were reduced much more remarkably as compared with placebo moxibustion group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). In moxibustion group, after treatment for 6 weeks,the time of 46-meter walking at the fastest speed was shorter apparently as compared with that before treatment (P < 0.01), but there was no apparent improvement after treatment in placebo moxibustion group (P > 0.05). The difference was not significant statistically in group comparison (P > 0.05). After moxibustion, the temperature at treatment point was (49.81 +/- 3.10) degrees C in moxibustion group and was (40.98 +/- 1.67) degrees C in placebo moxibustion group. The local skin temperature increased apparently as compared with that before treatment in either group (P < 0.001, P < 0.01), but the temperature increasing in moxibustion group was much more remarkable (P < 0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Moxibustion can obviously improve in the clinical symptoms for the patients with knee osteoarthritis, such as pain, stiffness and motor disturbance. It is a safe and effective therapy.</p>

Study on surface infrared radiation spectrums of danzhong (CV 17) in the patient of hyperplasia of mammary glands / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare differences of surface infrared radiation spectrums between Danzhong (CV 17) A high-sensitive PHE and non-acupoint control point in the patient of hyperplasia of mammary glands.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>201 surface infrared spectrograph was used to detect infrared radiation spectrums of Danzhong (CV 17) and non-acupoint control point at 1.5-16.0 microm wave band in the patient of hyperplasia of mammary glands.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The shape of the infrared spectrums of Danzhong (CV 17) was similar to that of the non-acupoint control point, but with lower radiation intensity. Of the 59 wavelength spots detected, 13 (6.75-8.25 microm, 9.00 microm, 9.25 microm, 9.75 microm, 13.25-13.75 microm) had significant differences in infrared radiation intensity between Danzhong (CV 17) and non-acupoint control point (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The intensity of infrared radition of Danzhong (CV 17) is lower and Qimen (LR 14) is higher than that of the non-acupoint control point in the patient with hyperplasia of mammary glands, showing that different channels are at different states of deficiency and excess under pathological condition of hyperplasia of mammary glands.</p>

Study on Volt-ampere (V-A) characteristics of human acupoints / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study on basic Volt-ampere (V-A) characteristics of human acupoints and the changes with physiologic and pathologic changes, and probe their biophysical basis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The research works of this research group about V-A characteristics of acupoints in recent 10 years were systematized and analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>V-A characteristic curve of human acupoints is of the both characteristics of non-linear and inertia. Compared with controlled point, the lower electric resistance characteristic of acupoints is not popular and the lower inertia is popular. V-A area of acupoints has no obvious circadian rhythms and the inertia area of a large part of acupoints has obvious circadian rhythms, with the phase of peak value corresponding to the phase of valley value of body temperature rhythms. V-A characteristics of acupoints in the patients of heart disease or stomach diseases changes obviously, and these changes have a certain specificities of acupoints. After remission of the lesion, the V-A characteristics of acupoints restore normal. The V-A area and the inertia area of acupoints in the corpse are obviously smaller than the normal person, with disappearance of the characteristics of both the non-linear and inertia of the normal person.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Human acupoints have characteristics of non-linear and inertia, and the non-linear characteristic reflects complexity of physiology and behavior, while the inertia characteristic is related with energy metabolism of acupoints. The inertia area can more sensitively reflect human physiologic and pathological changes as compared with the V-A area, so it is an important index for the studies on electric characteristics of acupoints in the future.</p>