ABSTRACT
Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of umbilicus application with Chinese medicine in treating children’s chronic diarrhea due to food intolerance and the value of healthy diet education. Methods:Eighty kids with chronic diarrhea due to food intolerance were recruited from multiple centers and divided by using the random number table into a treatment group of 40 cases and a control group of 40 cases. For both groups, based on the level of serum food-specific immunoglobulin G (Ig-G), the patients were given unified diet following the healthy diet guidance: safe, alternate, and forbidden, while the treatment group was additionally given umbilicus application with Chinese medicine. The therapeutic efficacy and symptom score of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) were observed and compared respectively after 1-week, 2-week, 4-week, and 12-week treatment. Results:The diarrhea symptoms and coupled symptoms scores dropped significantly in the two groups after treatment ( all P<0.05), and the inter-group comparisons also showed statistical significances (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 97.5% in the treatment group versus 77.5% in the control group, and the inter-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion:The healthy diet guidance based on the food intolerance test is effective in helping treat diarrhea, while umbilicus application with Chinese medicine works better in treating diarrhea for kids with chronic diarrhea due to food intolerance and can significantly enhance the therapeutic efficacy.