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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the important diagnostic indicators for blood stasis syndrome (BSS) in patients of childbearing age with gynaecological diseases.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A partial least squared-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were applied to BSS symptoms data of patients with gynaecological diseases, and the diagnostic indicators used by doctors of Korean medicine (DKMs) among BSS patients with gynaecological diseases were also investigated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 103 patients of childbearing age with gynaecological diseases and 40 healthy controls were enrolled. Among the 103 patients, 63 (61.7%) and 40 (38.8%) were diagnosed with BSS and non-BSS, respectively, and BSS patients exhibited a more severe extent of disease. A score plot of PLS-DA showed clearly different patterns among the 3 groups. Based on the variable importance on projection of PLS-DA model, menstrual pains, dark lumps in the menstrual blood, ileocoecal tenderness and resistance, sharp pains, and sublingual varicosities were selected as the top five most important indicators. Moreover, more than 75% of DKMs chose dark lumps in menstrual blood, menstrual pain, and dark menstrual blood as the diagnostic indicators of BSS in patients with gynaecological diseases, and more than 49% of them also considered sharp pains, dark red tongue, sublingual varicosities, and tendency to bruise easily as diagnostic indicators of BSS.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>DKMs focused on menstrual symptoms and certain gynaecological symptoms to diagnose BSS patients of childbearing age with female diseases.</p>
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the diagnostic indicators and herbal treatments for blood stasis syndrome (BSS) patients with traumatic injuries and to identify the association between BSS and traumatic injury in Korea.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Two-hundred and four patients with traumatic injury were recruited from the Gangnam and Daejeon branches of Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine between June 2014 and December 2014. Two independent doctors of Korean medicine (DKMs) determined the diagnosis of BSS or non-BSS based on the subjects signs and symptoms. The scores assigned to BSS symptoms and DKMs' reasons for diagnosing BSS in patients with traumatic injury were investigated. Both medication and herbal prescription records from a 3-month period were collected for all patients diagnosed with BSS by both DKMs.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 169 of 204 (82.8%) patients received consistent diagnosis related to BSS by two DKMs. Among them, 54.4% (92 cases) were diagnosed with BSS, and 45.6% (77 cases) were not diagnosed with BSS. DKMs most frequently cited symptoms of recent traumatic injury as justifications for BSS diagnoses, and also selected pain-related indicators such as abdominal pain, sharp pain and nocturnal pain as important reasons in diagnosing BSS. In addition, an inconsistency in the pattern identification theory with respect to traumatic injury was observed. Although only 92 cases (54.4%) of patients were diagnosed with BSS, 77.6% of them were prescribed decoctions for BSS.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>DKMs considered traumatic injury could cause BSS, and utilized decoction for BSS in patients with traumatic injury without confirming a diagnosis of BSS because they assumed the main symptoms or pathologies of traumatic injury to be closely related to BSS.</p>
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Cross-Sectional Studies , Medicine, Korean Traditional , Syndrome , Wounds and Injuries , Diagnosis , Drug TherapyABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the consistency of patterns and pattern identification (PI), and the improvement in the diagnosis of blood stasis after the standard operating procedures (SOPs) were enhanced by using a diagnostic flflowchart. Methods A total of 358 subjects who were admitted by the Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine between June 2013 and December 2014 were included in the study. Each patient was independently diagnosed by two experts from the same department. In 2014, the SOPs included the use of a diagnostic flflowchart for each indicator. Inter-observer consistency was assessed by simple percent agreement and by the kappa and AC1 statistics.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The improvements in inter-observer agreement for the indicators (for all patients) and PI were greater in 2014 than in 2013. In 2013, the j-value measure of agreement between the two experts ranged from "poor" (κ=-0.051) to "good" (κ=0.968). The AC1 measure of agreement between the experts was generally high for the indicators and ranged from-0.010 to 0.978. In most cases, agreement was considerably lower when it was assessed by the j-values compared with the AC1 values. In 2014, the j-value measure of agreement on the indicators (for the subjects) generally ranged from poor to good, with the values ranging from-0.007 to 0.994. Moreover, the AC1 measure of agreement between the experts was generally high for all of the indicators and ranged from "moderate" (AC1=0.408) to "excellent" (AC1=0.996).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>In four examinations, there was moderate agreement between the clinicians on the PI indicators of blood stasis. To improve clinician consistency (e.g., in the diagnostic criteria used), it is necessary to analyse the reasons for inconsistency and to improve clinician training. (Trial registration No. KCT0000916).</p>
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study various experts' opinions on the defifinition and diagnosis of blood stasis in China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We e-mailed the selected experts to explain the purpose of the study and to invite them to participate and asked them to name a time for the investigator to call them. Eight experts and fifive organizations were interviewed in the research community investigating blood stasis in China.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Six main categories emerged from the interviews: (1) blood stasis concepts; (2) blood stasis-related biomarkers; (3) methods of diagnosing blood stasis; (4) drugs for promoting blood circulation and dissipating stasis; (5) blood stasis-related diseases; and (6) blood stasis-related societies. The consensus among the interviewed experts was that the defifinition of blood stasis is rather complicated and that there is no gold standard marker for detecting blood stasis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>This paper acquired experts' opinions on the defifinition and diagnosis of blood stasis in order to establish a modern concept of blood stasis. This paper also developed a diagnostic tool and diagnostic indices for blood stasis and identifified biological indices and pathologic mechanisms related to blood stasis, which might be of great reference value in future blood stasis standardization research.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Biomarkers , Metabolism , Blood Circulation , Disease , Expert Testimony , Interviews as Topic , Medicine, Chinese Traditional , SyndromeABSTRACT
An international brainstorming session on standardizing pattern identification (PI) was held at the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine on October 1, 2013 in Daejeon, South Korea. This brainstorming session was convened to gather insights from international traditional East Asian medicine specialists regarding PI standardization. With eight presentations and discussion sessions, the meeting allowed participants to discuss research methods and diagnostic systems used in traditional medicine for PI. One speaker presented a talk titled "The diagnostic criteria for blood stasis syndrome: implications for standardization of PI". Four speakers presented on future strategies and objective measurement tools that could be used in PI research. Later, participants shared information and methodology for accurate diagnosis and PI. They also discussed the necessity for standardizing PI and methods for international collaborations in pattern research.
Subject(s)
Internationality , Medicine, Chinese Traditional , Reference Standards , Reference Standards , ResearchABSTRACT
A symposium on pattern identification (PI) was held at the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM) on October 2, 2013, in Daejeon, South Korea. This symposium was convened to provide information on the current research in PI as well as suggest future research directions. The participants discussed the nature of PI, possible research questions, strategies and future international collaborations in pattern research. With eight presentations and an extensive panel discussion, the symposium allowed participants to discuss research methods in traditional medicine for PI. One speaker presented the topic, 'Clinical pattern differentiation and contemporary research in PI.' Two speakers presented current trends in research on blood stasis while the remaining five other delegates discussed the research methods and future directions of PI research. The participants engaged in in-depth discussions regarding the nature of PI, potential research questions, strategies and future international collaborations in pattern research.
Subject(s)
Humans , Internationality , Medicine, Chinese Traditional , Research , SyndromeABSTRACT
Syndrome differentiation is a key feature of Chinese medicine (CM) system. With CM receiving more and more attention from the mainstream medical systems, researchers from both traditional medical systems and the Western medical system are putting more effort into studying why and how the CM system works, particularly about CM syndromes. This paper reviews the current status of syndrome study and its future development. The major aspects include: (1) Usage of syndrome differentiation in clinical practice; (2) Formalization of syndrome diagnostic criteria; (3) Evidence-based determination of the common syndrome(s) of a disease; (4) Systems biology study of syndromes; and (5) Usage of syndrome in randomized controlled trials. It is expected to integrate the syndrome concept into the main stream medical system, in terms of diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Subject(s)
Humans , Medicine, Chinese Traditional , SyndromeABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effectiveness of Chuna for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain as reported in Korean literature.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We conducted an electronic literature search using seven Korean databases and manually searched six traditional Korean medicine journals. Risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane criteria.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the study. Compared with standard care, three RCTs suggested favorable effects of Chuna on neck pain due to a hypolordotic cervical spine, low back pain caused by traffic accidents, and low back pain. In contrast, compared with standard care, three RCTs failed to show positive effects on temporomandibular joint disorder, mandibular movement, and neck pain caused by traffic accidents.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Currently, the evidence of the effectiveness of Chuna for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain is not convincing. Further rigorously designed trials are warranted to determine its effectiveness.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Medicine, Korean Traditional , Musculoskeletal Pain , Therapeutics , Publication Bias , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Risk Factors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the treatment time dependence of electroacupuncture (EA) on Neiguan (PC6) for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and seventy-eight patients, who had received intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with Fentanyl, were assigned randomly to three groups using random numbers: a pre-operative EA group (PrEA), a post-operative EA group (PoEA), and a non-acupuncture control group (NC). An anesthetist evaluated the incidence and severity of nausea and vomiting for 48 h after surgery blindly. The main outcomes were severity and freguency of PONV, which were measured with a self-reported questionnaire and a confirmation from the anesthetist. The data were analyzed with ANOVA and Z-test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The incidence of nausea and vomiting was significantly lower in the PrEA group than the NC group during 48 h after surgery (P<0.01, P<0.05). The incidence of vomiting was also significantly lower in the PrEA group than the PoEA group (P<0.05). The PoEA subjects evidenced no significant differences compared with the NC subjects in terms of the incidence of nausea and vomiting (P<0.05). The severity of nausea was significantly lower in the PrEA group than in the NC and PoEA groups (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>EA on PC6 is effective in the prevention of PONV, and pre-operative acupuncture is more effective than post-operative acupuncture.</p>
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Acupuncture Points , Analgesics, Opioid , Electroacupuncture , Incidence , Laparoscopy , Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting , EpidemiologyABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effectiveness of scalp acupuncture (SA), a modern acupuncture technique specialized to neurological disorders, in managing motor function and symptoms for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Two independent reviewers extracted data from all of the randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that assessed the efficacy of SA for PD compared with conventional therapies (CTs). Sixteen electronic databases were searched. The risk of bias was appraised with the Cochrane Collaboration tool, and the reporting of the included studies was evaluated by the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) 2010 checklist and the revised Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) guidelines.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In total, 4 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. As assessed by the Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS), 2 RCTs showed that SA combined with CTs proved superior to CTs alone [60 cases; weighted mean difference, -3.94; 95% confidence interval (CI), -6.05 to -1.84, P=0.01; I(2) =0%]. Based on the Webster scale, however, 3 RCTs showed no superior effect of SA when combined with CTs with high heterogeneity (154 cases; risk ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 0.79 to 2.12, P=0.30; I(2) =84%). The Cochrane risk of bias, adherence to the CONSORT and the STRICTA checklist showed that the quality of all the included RCTs was generally low.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The result of our systematic review and meta-analysis suggested that the effectiveness of SA for PD is promising, however, the evidence is not convincing. A sham-controlled RCT design that adheres to the CONSORT and STRICTA guidelines to overcome methodological weakness and that includes a large sample size is strongly recommended to confirm the precise effect of SA on PD.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Acupuncture Points , Acupuncture Therapy , Parkinson Disease , Therapeutics , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Scalp , Pathology , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the clinical evidence for and against acupuncture as a treatment for Bell's palsy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We conducted a literature search of 15 databases from their inception to December 2010 without language restrictions. We included all randomized clinical trials (RCTs) regardless of their controls. Methodological quality was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 3 474 articles, only eight RCTs met our inclusion criteria. Four RCTs tested the effects of acupuncture against drug therapy on disease response rate. The meta-analysis of these data showed significant improvements in the acupuncture group [n=463, risk ratio (RR)=1.07, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.13; P=0.006, I(2)=0%]. Six RCTs tested the effects of acupuncture plus drug therapy versus drug therapy alone. The meta-analysis of this set of RCTs also showed the favorable effects of acupuncture on disease response rate (n=512, RR=1.11, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.17; P=0.001, I(2)=13%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating Bell's palsy is limited. The number and quality of trials are too low to form firm conclusions. Further rigorous RCTs are warranted but need to overcome the many limitations of the current evidence.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Acupuncture Points , Acupuncture Therapy , Bell Palsy , Therapeutics , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study was done to test the effects of Oketani breast massage on breast pain and breast milk pH of mothers, and sucking speed of neonates. METHODS: A nonequivalent control group and a pretest-posttest design was used. Postpartum mothers complaining of breast pain were recruited at a postpartum care center. The application of Oketani breast massage by an Oketani massage therapist was the experimental treatment. The control group received the conventional massage technique from a nurse at the postpartum care centre. The collected data were analysed using a chi2-test and a t-test with the SPSS WIN 12.0 program. RESULTS: The participants were homogeneous in age, gestation period, and birth weight. Breast pain (t=8.384, p<.001) was significantly relieved, and breast milk pH (t=4.793, p<.001) was significantly increased in the experimental group compared to the control group. The sucking speed of the neonates in the experimental group was significantly increased compared to the control group (t=9.920, p<.001). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that Oketani breast massage is effective in relieving breast pain and increasing breast milk pH as well as the sucking speed of neonates.
Subject(s)
Humans , Infant, Newborn , Pregnancy , Birth Weight , Breast , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Massage , Mastodynia , Milk, Human , Mothers , Postnatal Care , Postpartum PeriodABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Red ginseng (RG, Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) is one of the widely used herbs for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). However, no systematic review of the effectiveness of RG for type 2 DM is available. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the current evidence for the effectiveness of RG in patients with type 2 DM.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Electronic searches of 14 electronic databases were conducted without language restrictions. All randomized clinical trials (RCTs) with RG as a treatment for type 2 DM were considered for inclusion. Their methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane criteria.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Four RCTs met our inclusion criteria. Their methodological quality was variable. Three of the RCTs compared the effectiveness of RG with placebo. The meta-analysis of these data failed to favor RG over placebo for fasting plasma glucose (FPG) [n =76, weighted mean difference (WMD): -0.43 mmol/L; 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.16 to 0.30, =0.25] and fasting plasma insulin (FPI) (n =76, WMD: -8.43 pmol/L; 95% CI: -19.54 to 2.68, P =0.14) for 12 weeks of treatment. One RCT compared the effects of RG with no treatment. The results did not suggest favorable effects of RG on FPG, hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) or 2-h blood glucose after a meal (PP2h).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The evidence for the effectiveness of RG in controlling glucose in type 2 DM is not convincing. Few included studies with various treatment regimens prohibit definitive conclusions. More rigorous studies are needed to clarify the effects of RG on this condition.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 , Drug Therapy , Panax , Chemistry , Phytotherapy , Plant Extracts , Therapeutic Uses , Publication Bias , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Risk Factors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
No abstract available.
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<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To summarize and critically evaluate the evidence for and against the effectiveness of Eastern-Western integrative medicine (EWIM) for health care compared to Eastern medicine (EM) or Western medicine (WM) alone.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Systematic searches were conducted on five Korean medical databases. Manual searches were also conducted through nine major Korean medical journals. Prospective randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were included if EWIM was tested for any type of conditions compared to EM or WM.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were one hundred forty-one possibly relevant studies were identified, and seven RCTs were included. The risk of bias was high in most studies. The EWIM methods were compared with EM or WM in patients with pain conditions in four studies. These studies showed favorable effects of EWIM on pain reduction in patients with shoulder pain and chronic headache compared with EM, while the other RCTs failed to do so in traffic injury patients. Two studies tested EWIM in patients with Bell's palsy compared with EM and found acute functional improvement. An RCT comparing EWIM with WM in patients with acne showed a significant difference.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results of our systematic review suggest that there is limited evidence for the superiority of EWIM over EM or WM in the treatment of pain and acute symptom improvement in patients with Bell's palsy. The evidence from our analysis was limited from the low number of RCTs included and the high risk of bias. Future RCTs appear to be warranted.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Delivery of Health Care , Integrative Medicine , Publication Bias , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Republic of Korea , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Cochrane reviews have the reputation for being more transparent and rigorous than other reviews. The aim of this overview was to evaluate and summarize Cochrane reviews of acupuncture for the treatment of any type of pain.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We searched the Cochrane Database and evaluated the Cochrane reviews that were concerned specifically with the effectiveness of acupuncture for pain. Data were extracted according to pre-defined inclusion criteria by two independent reviewers.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Eight Cochrane reviews were included. They were all of high methodological quality. They related to a wide range of pain syndromes. Four reviews concluded that acupuncture is effective for migraines, neck disorders, tension-type headaches, and peripheral joint osteoarthritis; one review failed to demonstrate type the effectiveness of acupuncture for rheumatoid arthritis; and three reviews were inconclusive for shoulder pain, lateral elbow pain, and low back pain.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Several Cochrane reviews of acupuncture for a wide range of pain conditions have recently been published. All of these reviews were of high quality. Their results suggest that acupuncture is effective for some but not all types of pain.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Acupuncture Therapy , Libraries, Medical , Reference Standards , Pain Management , Review Literature as TopicABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment option for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The literatures were searched using 15 databases, including MEDLINE, AMED, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycInfo, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, six Korean medical databases and two Chinese databases without language restritions. Prospective controlled clinical studies of any type of acupuncture therapy for ADHD autistic patients were included. Trials in which acupuncture was part of a complex intervention were also included. All articles were read by two independent reviewers, who extracted data from the articles according to predefined criteria. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of 114 articles, only three randomized clinical trials (RCTs) met our inclusion criteria. One RCT found that electroacupuncture (EA) plus behavioural treatment was superior to sham EA plus behavioural treatment. Two RCTs reported a significant benefit of acupuncture or auricular acupuncture over conventional drug therapies.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Limited evidence exists for the effectiveness of acupuncture as a symptomatic treatment of ADHD. Given that the risk of bias of the included studies was high, firm conclusions cannot be drawn.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Acupuncture , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity , Therapeutics , Information Storage and Retrieval , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Tai chi has been recommended for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate evidence from controlled clinical trials testing the effectiveness of tai chi in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Systematic searches were conducted on 14 electronic databases without restrictions on either population characteristics or language of publication. The outcome measures considered for inclusion were changes in fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and quality of life (QOL).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Eight randomised clinical trials (RCTs) and two controlled clinical trials (CCTs) met all inclusion criteria. Three RCTs from 1 trial compared the effects of tai chi with sham exercise and failed to show effectiveness of tai chi on FBG, HbA1c, or QOL. The other 3 RCTs tested the effects of tai chi compared with other types of exercise on FBG. The meta-analysis failed to show an FBG-lowering effect of tai chi [n=118, weighted mean difference (WMD): -0.14 mmol/L, 95% CI: -0.86 to 0.58, P=0.70]. Four studies (2 RCTs and 2 CCT) compared tai chi with no treatment or self-management programme and failed to report significant differences between the experimental and control groups except for QOL from 1 RCT and 1 CCT.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The existing evidence does not suggest that tai chi is an effective therapy for type 2 diabetes. Currently, there are few high-quality trials on which to make definitive judgements.</p>
Subject(s)
Humans , Blood Glucose , Metabolism , Clinical Trials as Topic , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 , Blood , Therapeutics , Fasting , Blood , Publication Bias , Tai Ji , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Moxibustion is currently used for treating diabetes mellitus (DM) as a non-drug intervention in East Asian countries. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of moxibustion for managing the symptoms of type 2 DM patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We searched MEDLINE, AMED, EMBASE, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, six Korean databases, and four Chinese databases. Risk of bias was used for evaluating the quality of the included studies.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 5 studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. All of the included studies had high risks of bias. One randomized clinical trial (RCT) compared the effectiveness of one-time moxibustion use with oral administration of glibenclimide and showed the significant effects of moxibustion on glycemic control. Another RCT tested the effectiveness of moxibustion plus conventional treatment, and the moxibustion group reported significant improvement in fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels compared with the conventional treatment group. Two RCTs compared the effectiveness of moxibustion versus acupuncture or moxibustion plus acupuncture, and the combined treatment showed the most favorable effects on the control of blood glucose, urine glucose, and glycocylated hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)). One uncontrolled observational study showed favorable effects of moxibustion on the response rate.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>It is difficult to conclude that moxibustion is an effective intervention for the control of type 2 DM due to the scarcity of trials and the low methodological quality of included studies. Further rigorous RCTs may be necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of moxibustion for type 2 DM.</p>
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 , Therapeutics , Moxibustion , Methods , Randomized Controlled Trials as TopicABSTRACT
No Abstract Available.