ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of modified Xiaoyao Powder combined with abdominal needling for conducting fire back to its source for the treatment of swallowing dysfunction in Parkinson's disease, and to explore a more effective therapy for swallowing dysfunction in Parkinson's disease. Methods Forty-two Parkinson's disease patients suffering from swallowing dysfunction were divided into treatment group and control group, 21 cases in each group. The patients in both groups received routine swallowing function training. In addition to the training, the treatment group was treated with modified Xiaoyao Powder combined with abdominal needling for conducting fire back to its source, and the control group was given conventional western medicine of Domperidone and Levodopa Benserazide Hydrochloride. After treatment for 3 weeks, we compared the dysphagia scores and effective rate of the two groups. Results (1) All of the patients in the treatment group completed the trial, but 2 cases of the control group dropped out. Therefore, a total of 40 cases completed the trial. (2) The dysphagia scores of the two groups were much improved after treatment (P<0.01 compared with those before treatment) , and the improvement of the treatment group was superior to that of the control group (P < 0.05). (3) After treatment for 3 weeks, the total effective rate of the treatment group was 95.24% and that of the control group was 52 . 63%, and the difference was statistically significant between the two groups(P<0.01).(4) Gastrointestinal reaction occurred in 3 cases(one from the treatment group and 2 from the control group) , but there were no other side effects found in both groups. Conclusion Modified Xiaoyao Powder combined with abdominal needling for conducting fire back to its source is more effective for the treatment of swallowing dysfunction in Parkinson's disease than routine western medicine treatment.