ABSTRACT
Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of ginger-partitioned moxibustion plus pediatric massage (tuina) in treating infantile diarrhea due to spleen deficiency. Methods: Ninety infants were randomly divided into a massage plus moxibustion group, a massage group and a drug group by the random number table method, with 30 cases in each group. The intervention was conducted for two consecutive courses. The infants in the massage plus moxibustion group were treated with pediatric massage and ginger-partitioned moxibustion at Shenque (CV 8). The infants in the massage group were treated with pediatric massage alone, while those in the drug group were treated with smecta. The primary and secondary symptom scales were assessed before and after treatment and at the follow-ups, and the total effective rate was evaluated after treatment. Results: The total effective rate in the massage plus moxibustion group was significantly different from that in the massage group and drug group (both P<0.05). After treatment, the scores of primary and secondary symptoms decreased in all three groups, with statistically significant intra-group differences (all P<0.05); the scores of primary symptoms were significantly different between the massage plus moxibustion group and the drug group (P<0.05); the scores of secondary symptoms in the massage plus moxibustion group and the massage group were significantly different from that in the drug group (both P<0.05). The differences in the time to recover normal bowel movement frequency among the three groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: Ginger-partitioned moxibustion plus pediatric massage compared with pediatric massage or smecta monotherapy shows superior clinical efficacy in treating infantile diarrhea due to spleen deficiency, and has the advantages of appetite improvement, physique strengthening and short course.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To compare the therapeutic efficacy between warm needling moxibustion and electroacupuncture (EA) in the treatment of simple obesity due to yang deficiency of the spleen and kidney. Methods: Seventy patients with simple obesity due to yang deficiency of the spleen and kidney were randomly divided into a warm needling moxibustion group and an EA group, with 35 subjects in each group. Same major acupoints were selected for the two groups, including Shuifen (CV 9), Guanyuan (CV 4), Daheng (SP 15), Shuidao (ST 28), Shousanli (LI 10), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Taixi (KI 3). The warm needling moxibustion group received warm needling moxibustion, while the EA group received EA treatment. The interventions were performed once every other day, with 15 treatments as one course. The therapeutic efficacy, body weight and body mass index (BMI) were then observed and compared. Results: The total effective rate in the warm needling moxibustion group was 85.7％ versus 77.1％ in the EA group, and the between-group difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The warm needling moxibustion was remarkably superior to the EA in weight loss and lowering BMI, both with statistical significance (P<0.05, P<0.01). At the three-month follow-up, the body weight and BMI further decreased in the warm needling moxibustion group (both P<0.05), and the levels were lower than those in the EA group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion: Warm needling moxibustion can produce reliable and consistent efficacy in the treatment of simple obesity due to yang deficiency of the spleen and kidney. Compared with EA, warm needling moxibustion shows advantage in both short-term and long-term efficacies, and thus is worth promotion in clinical practice.