ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effect of shallow acupuncture combined with ear-acupoint pellet-pressing in the treatment of primary insomnia in patients with qi-stagnation constitution. METHODS: A total of 60 primary insomnia outpatients with qi-stagnation constitution were randomly divided into treatment group and control group, with 30 patients in each group. The patients in the control group were given oral Alprazolam tablets once a day, and those in the treatment group given shallow acupuncture of Yintang (EX-HN3), Shangen (inferior to EX-HN3), Anmian (EX-HN16) and bilateral Xingjian (LR2) and bilateral Taichong (LR3), once a day, and combined with pellet-pressing of ear acupoints "Shenmen""Sympathy""Subcortex""Heart" and "Liver" once every other day. Each course of treatment was 10 consecutive days, and both groups were treated for three courses. The sleep quality was assessed using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the emotional status assessed using Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), and the qi-stagnation state evaluated according to "the Criteria for Classification and Judgement of Constitution of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2009)". The therapeutic effect was evaluated according to "the Criteria for Diagnosis and Evaluation of Therapeutic Effect of Diseases of Traditional Chinese Medicine"．. RESULTS: Of the two 30 cases in the control and treatment groups, 2 (6.7%) and 6 (20.0%) were cured, 6 (20.0%) and 14 (46.7%) experienced marked improvement in their symptoms, 21 (70.0%) and 6 (20.0%) were effective, and 1 (3.3%) and 4 (13.3%) ineffective, with the effective rate being 86.7% and 96.7%, respectively. No significant difference was found between the two groups in the short-term effect (P>0.05). One month's follow-up showed that, of the two 30 cases in the control and treatment groups, 2 (6.7%) and 5 (16.7%) were cured, 4(13.3%) and 14 (46.6%) experienced marked improvement, 10 (33.3%) and 6 (20.0%) were effective, and 14(46.7%) and 5(16.7%) ineffective, with the effective rate being 53.3% and 83.3%, respectively. The long-term therapeutic effect of the treatment group was significantly superior to that of the control group (P<0.05). After the treatment, both PSQI and SDS scores in the two groups, and qi-stagnation score in the treatment group showed a significant reduction in comparison with their own pretreatment (P<0.05), and one-month's follow-up (not the short-term outcome) displayed that the PSQI, SDS and qi-stagnation scores of the treatment group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P<0.05)．. CONCLUSION: Shallow acupuncture combined with ear-acupoint pellet-pressing can significantly improve sleep quality, depression symptoms, and pathological constitution in primary insomnia patients with qi-stagnation constitution, possessing a stable long-term clinical effect.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) constitution of patients with metabolic syndrome(MS), so as to provide individualized therapy for the treatment and rehabilitation of MS. Methods The data of a total of 328 MS patients were collected, covering body height, body mass,body mass index(BMI),waist circumference,blood pressure,blood glucose,blood lipids such as triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), etc.. TCM constitution types of the MS patients were classified according to Self-rating Scale for Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution Classification and Discrimination. Results (1)In the 328 cases,the patients with increased TG or having treated with lipid-lowering therapy,the patients complicated with increased blood pressure or having treated with antihypertensive therapy,and the patients with the previous diagnosis of hypertension were dominant,accounted for 41 cases(12.50%).(2)Bias constitution was predominant, showing in 308 cases and accounting for 93.90%. Phlegm-damp constitution was mostly commonly seen in the bias constitution, accounted for 78 cases(23.78%). And then the damp-heat constitution, Qi stagnation constitution, complicated constitution, Qi deficiency constitution, yang deficiency constitution, blood-stasis constitution, yin deficiency constitution and specific constitution came next orderly. Twenty patients had the harmony constitution, accounting for 6.10%. (3)MS patients with phlegm-damp constitution had higher body mass and BMI than the patients with harmony constitution, the difference being significant (P < 0.05). The differences of TG were significant between the phlegm-damp constitution and the specific constitution(P <0.05). Conclusion The included MS patients have typical clinical manifestations, and their TCM constitution types are commonly seen as phlegm-damp constitution,damp-heat constitution,and Qi stagnation constitution. The results of constitution discrimination will supply evidence for the individualized therapy for the treatment and rehabilitation of MS patients.
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Objective To investigate the physical health of female college students with various types of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) constitution. Methods The physical health state of 608 female college students was evaluated by National Student Physical Health Standards issued by Ministry of Education and by TCM Constitution Questionnaire. And then the data were analyzed by regression analysis. Results(1)A total of 608 questionnares was issued, and 600 were responded,with an effective response rate being 100%. (2)TCM constitution types of the 600 female college students were classified into harmony constitution(208 cases), damp-heat constitution(180 cases),yin deficiency constitution(78 cases),Qi stagnation constitution(51 cases), Qi deficiency constitution (36 cases), yang deficiency constitution (31 cases), blood-stasis constitution(9 cases),phlegm-dampness constitution (7 cases),and specific constitution (none). (3)Of the 9 constitution types, the physical health of the female college students with harmony constitution was the best, with an excellent rate being 59.61% and the rate for pass and being good arriving to 39.90%. And the pass rate almost arrived to 100%. Of the 8 bias constitution types,the physical health of the female college students with blood-stasis constitution was the worst, with a failed rate of 88.89%, and then came the Qi stagnation constitution, with a failed rate of 74.51%. (4)With the 9 constitution types as the independent variables, and with the excellent grade(≥86 scores),pass and good grade(60-85 scores),failed grade(≤59 scores)respectively as the dependent variables, harmony constitution and damp-heat constitution were included into the model of Forward stepwise regression analysis for the excellent grade, yang deficiency constitution, yin deficiency constitution and phlegm-dampness constitution were included into the model of Forward stepwise regression analysis for the pass and good grade,and Qi stagnation constitution and blood-stasis constitution were included into the model of Forward stepwise regression analysis for the failed grade. Conclusion Harmony constitution is the dominant constitution type in female college students,and the physical health of the harmony constitution is the best. The scores of physical health vary in the students with different constitution types. TCM constitution has certain dialectical relations with National Student Physical Health Standards.
ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the characteristics of constitution according to traditional Chinese medicine and the anxiety susceptibility of the population, providing the theoretical basis for carrying out population intervention in anxiety and taking full advantage of the preventive treatment by investigating anxiety emotion of patients. Methods A cross-sectional study method was adopted. 317 anxiety patients were recruited into an observation group and another 251 anxiety patients were recruited into a control group. Based on the traditional Chinese medicine constitution scale we defined every participant’s constitution type and got the distribution of different constitution types among all the participants. Then we usedχ2 test and binary regression to analyze the impact of constitution on anxiety. Result The observation group constitution type distribution:Qi stagnation(19.24%), Qi deficiency(16.40%), blood stasis(15.46%), damp heat (11.04%), Yang deficiency(10.41%), Yin deficiency(8.83%), phlegm dampness(6.62%), mild quality(5.99%), special intrinsic quality(5.99%). The control group constitution type distribution:damp heat(17.53%), Yin deficiency (14.34%), phlegm dampness (13.94%), Yang deficiency(11.55%),mild quality (11.55%), Qi stagnation (8.76%), Qi deficiency (8.37%), blood stasis (7.97%), special intrinsic quality (5.98%). The result ofχ2 test showed that the distribution of constitution types among participants in the observation group were different from that in the control group and the difference was statistically significant(P0.05). The binary regression result showed that the three constitutions of Qi stagnation, Qi deficiency and blood stasis had significantly positive correlation with anxiety(P<0.05). Odds ratios showed Exp of Qi stagnation, Qi deficiency and blood stasis was 4.447, 3.942 and 3.929. while the other six constitutions are independent factors to anxiety. Conclusion Qi stagnation, Qi deficiency and blood stasis constitutions were possible risk factors for anxiety.