ABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the therapeutic efficacy and mechanism of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) for menopausal insomnia. Methods: A total of 80 patients with menopausal insomnia were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 40 cases in each group. The patients in the control group received conventional Western medication treatment, and the patients in the observation group received TEAS on the basis of conventional Western medication treatment. The treatment for both groups lasted for 4 weeks. Before and after treatment, Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and modified Kupperman scale were evaluated, and the serum levels of estradiol (E2) and follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) were measured. The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated after treatment. Results: After treatment, the total effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05); in the control group, the improvement of PSQI score was significant (P<0.05), while the change of modified Kupperman score was insignificant (P>0.05); the PSQI and Kupperman scores in the observation group were significantly improved after treatment (both P<0.05), and there were significant differences between the observation group and the control group in PSQI and Kupperman scores (both P<0.05). After treatment, the serum E2 and FSH levels in the control group were not statistically different from those before treatment (both P>0.05); the serum E2 level was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the FSH level was decreased (P<0.05) in the observation group after treatment, and the between- group differences in serum levels of E2 and FSH were significant (both P<0.05).Conclusion: TEAS plus conventional Western medication in treating menopausal insomnia is effective, and can significantly improve the symptoms of insomnia and menopause, which may be related to the regulation of serum E2 and FSH levels.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of heat-sensitive moxibustion for vascular dementia and explore its mechanism. Methods: A total of 70 patients with vascular dementia were randomized into an observation group and a control group, with 35 cases in each group. The control group was treated with piracetam, and the observation group was treated with heat-sensitive moxibustion on the basis of the treatment of the control group. The treatment lasted for 8 weeks. Before and after the treatment, the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), activity of daily living (ADL) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom scores were assessed, and the levels of acetyl choline (Ach) and homocysteine (Hcy) were measured. The efficacy was evaluated after treatment. Results: The total effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the MMSE and ADL scores in the observation group decreased significantly, and were lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05); the TCM symptom score of the observation group decreased significantly (P<0.05), while that of the control group had no significant change (P>0.05); the plasma Ach level in the observation group increased significantly (P<0.05), and the Hcy level decreased significantly (P<0.05), which were statistically different from those in the control group (both P<0.05). Conclusion: Heat-sensitive moxibustion plus piracetam is effective in treating vascular dementia. It can significantly improve dementia symptoms and ADL, which may be related to the correction of plasma Ach and Hcy levels.