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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effect of acupoint thread-embedding therapy at different intervals in the treatment of metabolic syndrome, and to find the optimal treatment interval. METHODS: A total of 70 patients with metabolic syndrome were randomly divided into treatment group 1 (n＝35)and treatment group 2(n＝35). Both groups were given acupoint thread-embedding therapy at Zhongwan (CV12), bilateral Liangmen (ST21), bilateral Huaroumen (ST24), bilateral Tianshu (ST25), bilateral Daimai (GB26), Guanyuan (CV4), bilateral Dachangshu (BL25), bilateral Pishu (BL20), bilateral Zusanli (ST36), bilateral Yinlingquan (SP9), and bilateral Fenglong (ST40), and the treatment interval was 7 d for treatment group 1 and 14 d for treatment group 2. Each course of treatment was 42 d, and both groups were treated for 2 courses. Waist circumfe-rence (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI), serum triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and glycosylated hemoglobin (Hb1Ac) were measured before and after treatment to analyze clinical outcome, and adverse reactions were recorded. RESULTS: After treatment, both groups had significant reductions in WC, HC, WHR, BMI, TG, LDL-C, FPG and Hb1Ac (P0.05). CONCLUSION: Under the premise of ensuring efficacy and safety, an interval of 7 d is the optimal interval for acupoint thread-embedding therapy in the clinical intervention of metabolic syndrome.
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OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effective of acupoint thread-embedding therapy for ataxia children with cerebral palsy. METHODS: A total of 70 ataxia children with cerebral palsy and a Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM, Dimension B) score of <35 were enrolled and randomly divided into thread-embedding group and control group, with 35 children in each group, and 2 children in the thread-embedding group were lost to follow-up. The children in the control group were given routine rehabilitation treatment, including physical therapy, spleen-strengthening, kidney-nourishing, and Governor Vessel-regulating massage, vibroacoustic therapy, and scalp acupuncture, and those in the thread-embedding group were given thread-embedding therapy at the acupoints of Jianyu (LI15), Jianliao (SJ14), Tianzong (SI11), Tianshu (ST25), and HuatuoJiaji points (C4, L1 and L4) in addition to the treatment in the control group, with 6-8 acupoints selected each time, once a week. Each course of treatment was 4 weeks, with an interval of one week between two courses of treatment, and the children were treated for 3 courses. Level of sitting scale (LSS), incurvation reflex, and GMFM score were recorded to evaluate the improvement in sitting ability and clinical outcome. RESULTS: Both groups had significant improvements in LSS, incurvation reflex, and GMFM (Dimension A and B) score after treatment (P<0.01), and the thread-embedding group had significantly greater improvements than the control group (P<0.01). The thread-embedding group had a significantly higher overall response rate than the control group (90.9% [30/33] vs 68.5% [24/35], P<0.01). CONCLUSION: In addition to routine rehabilitation treatment, acupoint thread-embedding therapy can effectively suppress primitive reflex in ataxia children with cerebral palsy and significantly promote their sitting ability, and therefore, it is an effective acupuncture treatment method for ataxia children with cerebral palsy.
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OBJECTIVE: To investigate short-term and long-term efficacy of PGLA thread-embedding therapy in the treatment of stage Ⅰ post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with stage Ⅰ post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome were randomly divided into control group and treatment group, with 30 patients in each group. The patients in the control group were given acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training, and those in the treatment group were given PGLA thread-embedding therapy combined with rehabilitation training. Conventional acupuncture was performed once a day, and thread-embedding therapy was performed once every 5 days. Both groups were treated for 30 days. Clinical outcome, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, hand edema score, and Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) score were compared within and between groups immediately and at 1 month after treatment. RESULTS: The treatment group had a significantly higher overall response rate than the control group immediately and at 1 month after treatment (93.33%/86.67% vs 73.33%/56.67%, P<0.05). Both groups had significant reductions in VAS score and hand edema score and a significant increase in FMA score immediately and at 1 month after treatment (P<0.05), and the treatment group had significantly greater improvements than the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: PGLA thread-embedding therapy has a better clinical effect than conventional acupuncture in the treatment of stage Ⅰ post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome.
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OBJECTIVE@#To compare the therapeutic effects on the relevant symtoms in the patients with dry eye syndrome treated with the acupoint thread-embedding therapy versus topical artificial tears eye drops.@*METHODS@#A total of 88 patients with dry eye syndrome of deficiency lacrima production were randomized into an acupoint thread-embedding therapy group (thread-embedding group) and a control group with topical artificial tears eye drops (medication group), 44 cases in each one. In the thread-embedding group, 3 cases were dropped out. In the thread-embedding group, Ganshu (BL 18), Pishu (BL 20) and Shenshu (BL 23) etc. were selected and the acupoint thread-embedding therapy was operated once every 30 days, totally for two treatments. In the medication group, the topical artificial tears eye drops was used, 4 to 6 times a day, one drop each time, for 8 weeks totally. Separately, before treatment, after 4-week treatment and 8-week treatment as well as in 8 weeks and 12 weeks of the follow-up, the levels of lactoferrin in tears were determined and the scores of the relevant symptoms of ocular surface such as eye dryness, foreign body sensation in the eyes and eye fatigue were evaluated.@*RESULTS@#In the thread-embedding group, after 4-week and 8-week of treatment as well as in 8-week and 12-week follow-up, the scores of eye dryness, foreign body sensation, burning sensation of eye, phengophobia and eye fatigue were reduced significantly as compared with those before treatment (all 0.05). The levels of lactoferrin in tears at each time point after treatment in the thread-embedding group were higher than the medication group (<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The acupoint thread-embedding therapy effectively improves in the relevant symptoms of ocular surface, such as eye dryness, foreign body sensation, burning sensation of eye, phengophobia and eye fatigue, and increases the level of lactoferrin in tears in the patients with dry eye syndrome of deficiency aqueous production. In the follow-up, the therapeutic effects of the acupoint thread-embedding therapy are significantly better than artificial tears eye drops.
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Humans , Acupuncture Points , Asthenopia , Dry Eye Syndromes , TherapeuticsABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To review and collect the study achievements and the effect mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of premature ovarian failure (POF) in recent 20 years so as to provide more references for the clinical treatment of POF with acupuncture.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Through retrieving PubMed, CNKI and VIP, the literature on acupuncture for POF was collected from January 1, 1998 through March 31, 2017 regarding the rule of acupoint selection and the therapeutic method. The potential effect mechanism was explored.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Finally, 26 papers on the clinical treatment for POF with acupuncture and 5 ones on the laboratory mechanism were obtained. The differentiated syndromes and the top 3 acupoints for the treatment of POF included syndrome [Taixi (KI 3), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Guanyuan (CV 4)], syndrome [Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Zusanli (ST 36) and Ciliao (BL 32)], syndrome [Taichong (LR 3), Shenting (GV 24), Guanyuan (CV 4)], the mixed syndrome of and [Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Ganshu (BL 18) and Shenshu (BL 23)], the mixed syndrome of and [Pishu (BL 20), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Zusanli (ST 36)] and the dysfunction of the thoroughfare vessel and the conception vessel [Guanyuan (CV 4), Zigong (EX-CA 1) and Huangshu (KI 16)]. The top 5 acupoints of the 14 meridians were Guanyuan (CV 4), Shenshu (BL 23), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Zhongji (CV 3), Pishu (BL 20), Taixi (KI 3) and Ganshu (BL 18). The local extraordinary points were dominant. According to the use frequency of the acupoints, the first top 5 meridians were the bladder meridian of foot-, the governor vessel, the conception vessel, the spleen meridian of foot- and the kidney meridian of foot-. The most acupoints were distributed in the chest, the abdomen, the lumber region and the lower limbs. Many therapeutic methods were used, such as acupuncture with filiform needle, electroacupuncture, moxibustion and the acupoint thread-embedding therapy. The effect mechanisms possibly referred to the recovery of the sexual level through regulating the hypothalamus-pituitary gland-ovarian axle (HPOA) function, the improvement of the histological morphology of the uterine, the improvement of body immunity through affecting the nerve-endocrine-immune regulation system as well as the regulation of the genetic and protein expressions of the signal pathway relevant with POF.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Even though acupuncture has achieved the therapeutic effects in the clinical treatment of POF, the research on the effect mechanism is still limited. The exploration of acupuncture for POF in terms of mechanism may guide the clinical practice. In the future study, the clinical pathway should be specified and the effect mechanism be explored through the rigorous laboratory design and more objective and rational evaluation system.</p>
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Female , Humans , Acupuncture Points , Acupuncture Therapy , Meridians , Moxibustion , Primary Ovarian Insufficiency , TherapeuticsABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of acupoint catgut embedding in treating patients with early-stage type 2 diabetes.Methods Two hundred and forty patients with early-stage type 2 diabetes were randomly allocated to treatment and control groups, 120 cases each. The control group received diet control and kinesitherapy and the treatment group, acupoint catgut embedding in addition. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-h postprandial blood glucose (2hPG), glycosylated hemoglobin (GHB) and body mass index (BMI) were measured in the two groups before and after treatment and the clinical therapeutic effects were compared between the two groups.Results There were statistically significant post-treatment differences in FPG, 2hPG and GHB between the two groups (P<0.05). There was a significant difference in comparing FPG and GHB between the two groups after intervention (P<0.05).The total efficacy rate was 98.3% in the treatment group and 85.0% in the control group; there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05).Conclusions Acupoint catgut embedding can improve glucose tolerance and reduce the incidence of diabetes in patients with early-stage type 2 diabetes.
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Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of thread embedding plus Chinese medication in treating primary dysmenorrhea due to blood stagnation caused by cold accumulation. Methods Totally 136 patients with primary dysmenorrhea due to blood stagnation caused by cold accumulation were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 68 in each group. The treatment group was intervened by thread embedding at Shiqizhui (EX-B 8) and bilateral Ciliao (BL 32) plus Chinese medication;while the control group was by Chinese medication alone. The dysmenorrhea symptom score and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were observed before and after intervention, and the clinical efficacies were compared. Results The total effective rate and recovery-markedly effective rate were respectively 93.8%and 78.1%in the treatment group, versus 85.2%and 50.0%in the control group, and there was a significant difference in comparing the recovery-markedly effective rate (P<0.05). After intervention, the dysmenorrhea symptom score and VAS score were significantly changed in both groups (P<0.01);there were significant differences in comparing the symptom score and VAS score between the two groups (P<0.05). The half-a-year follow-up study showed that the total effective rate and recovery-markedly effective rate were respectively 90.6%and 68.8%in the treatment group, versus 70.6%and 38.2% in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusions Thread embedding plus Chinese medication is an effective approach in treating dysmenorrhea due to blood stagnation caused by cold accumulation, and it’s easy-to-operate and causes less pain.