Design and development of a multifunctional moxibustion treatment machine based on heat-sensitive moxibustion therapy / 中国针灸

A multifunctional moxibustion treatment machine is designed and developed to assist the heat-sensitive moxibustion therapy. Through the motion control of the stepping motor by programmable logic controller (PLC), the automatic control is obtained for the acupoint detection of heat-sensitive moxibustion therapy and the manual operation of moxibustion. The skin temperature is monitored in real-time, using infrared non-contact temperature measurement technology. Based on the deviation of the temperature set value and the monitoring one, the distance between the moxibustion device and the exerted region is adjusted automatically by PLC so that the temperature is controlled practically. The multifunctional moxibustion treatment machine based on the heat-sensitive moxibustion therapy is capable of the operation control of mild moxibustion, circling moxibustion, sparrow-pecking moxibustion and along-meridian moxibustion techniques, as well as real-time monitoring of skin temperature. The temperature change curve of this machine is coincident with that obtained by the manual operation of heat-sensitive moxibustion. This multifunctional moxibustion treatment machine assists the delivery of heat-sensitive moxibustion therapy and it is satisfactory in temperature control and precise in operation.

Effects of different courses of moxibustion treatment on intestinal flora and inflammation of a rat model of knee osteoarthritis / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#This study was done to determine the effects of different courses of moxibustion on a rat knee osteoarthritis (KOA) model, and explore the dose-effect relationship of moxibustion on KOA from the perspectives of intestinal flora and inflammatory factors.@*METHODS@#Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: normal, model, moxibustion for 2 weeks, moxibustion for 4 weeks and moxibustion for 6 weeks groups (n = 5 each group). A KOA rat model was induced by monosodium iodoacetate, and moxibustion intervention was performed at the acupoints "Dubi" (ST35) and "Zusanli" (ST36), once every other day. Pathologic changes in the cartilage of rat knee joints were assessed after intervention, and fecal samples were subjected to 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing for microbial diversity analysis.@*RESULTS@#Damage to the knee articular cartilage was obvious in the model group, which also had increased levels of pro-inflammatory factors, decreased levels of anti-inflammatory factors, and intestinal flora disorders with decreased diversity. The degree of cartilage damage in the 4 and 6 weeks of moxibustion groups was significantly improved compared with the model group. The 4 and 6 weeks of moxibustion groups also demonstrated reduced levels of interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α and increased levels of interleukin-10 (P < 0.05). Both the abundance and diversity of the intestinal flora were increased, approaching those of the normal group. Abundances of probiotics Eubacterium coprostanoligenes group and Ruminococcaceae UCG-014 increased, while that of the pathogenic bacteria Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group decreased (P < 0.05). Although the abundance of Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group decreased in the 2 weeks of moxibustion group compared with the model group (P < 0.05), there was no statistically significant difference in serum inflammatory factors, flora species diversity or degree of pathological damage compared with the model group.@*CONCLUSION@#Moxibustion treatment led to significant improvements in the intestinal flora and inflammatory factors of rats with KOA. Moxibustion treatment of 4 and 6 weeks led to better outcomes than the 2-week course. Moxibustion for 4 and 6 weeks can regulate intestinal flora dysfunction with increased probiotics and reduced pathogenic bacteria, reduce pro-inflammatory factors and increase anti-inflammatory factors. No significant differences were seen between the effects of moxibustion for 4 weeks and 6 weeks.

Acupuncture-moxibustion treatment by stages based on the theory of "transformation of / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the efficacy between acupuncture-moxibustion treatment by stages and femoston for premature ovarian insufficiency (POI).@*METHODS@#A total of 66 patients with POI were randomly divided into an observation group (33 cases, 3 cases dropped off) and a control group (33 cases, 2 cases dropped off). The patients in the observation group, based on the theory of "transformation of @*RESULTS@#Compared before treatment, the serum levels of FSH and LH were decreased (@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture- moxibustion treatment by stages based on the theory of "transformation of

Instructive significance of "treatment in accordance with time factor" for the idea of clinical diagnosis and treatment with acupuncture and moxibustion / 中国针灸

"Treatment in accordance with time factor" is one of the key principles of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment. In clinical practice of acupuncture and moxibustion, the connotation of "timing/time factor" should be fully understood and the temporal rule on physiology and pathology affected by the changes of four seasons and day and night be grasped. Based on the change law of

-'s diagnosis and treatment characteristics of acupuncture-moxibustion for facial diseases / 中国针灸

Based on the three books of - (1931), - (1940) and - (1955) written by Mr. -, the classification of facial diseases as well as the records and evolution process of Chinese and western disease names are summarized and analyzed to discuss Mr. -'s understanding of facial diseases in different periods. Through the systematic analysis and comparison in the trilogy of acupuncture and moxibustion, the characteristics of syndrome differentiation and diagnosis-treatment of acupuncture-moxibustion treatment for facial diseases by Mr. - are summarized, including clinical syndrome differentiation and treatment, which is adjusted with syndrome changes; simplified selection of acupoints, with attention on empirical acupoints; the strength of acupuncture is based on efficacy; acupuncture and moxibustion has specific indication; combination of acupuncture and medication could bring out the best in each other.

Clinical trials of treatment of post-stroke neurogenic bladder by plum-blossom needle tapping plus moxibustion / 针刺研究

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of plum-blossom needle tapping plus moxibustion in the treatment of post-stroke neurogenic bladder(PSNB). METHODS: A total of 60 PSNB patients were equally randomized into control group (16 men and 14 women, 65.6±7.9 years in age, 10.1±6.3 months in the duration of disease) and treatment group (18 men and 12 women, 63.8±8.5 years in age, 9.8±6.5 months in the duration of disease). Patients of the control group were treated by asking the patients to make a pelvic muscular exercise and passive intermittent urethral catheterization. For patients of the treatment group, a plum-blossom needle was used to alternatively tap the bilateral Shenshu(BL23), Qihaishu(BL24), Guanyuanshu(BL26), Xiaochangshu(BL27), Pangguangshu(BL28), Huiyang(BL35), Shangliao(BL31), etc., followed by performing moxibustion over the skin of Shenque(CV8), Guanyuan(CV4), Qihai(CV6) and Zhongji(CV3), etc. about 15 min. In addition, patients without spontaneous urination were also received urethral catheterization as those in the control group. The treatment was given once every day except the weekends and for two months. The integrated symptom score was assessed. The frequencies of diurnal urination and urinary incontinence, and the urination volume every time were respectively recorded for consecutive 3 days before and after the treatment, and the residual urine volume was also measured. The therapeutic effect was evaluated based on the status and frequency of diurnal urination and residual urine volume each time. RESULTS: Of the two 30 cases in the control and treatment groups, 2(6.7%) and 5(16.7%) were cured, 8(26.7%) and 12(40.0%) experienced marked improvement in their symptoms, 13(43.3%) and 11(36.7%) were improved, 7(23.3%) and 2(6.7%) failed, with the effective rates being 76.7% and 93.3%, respectively. The effective rate of the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the control group(P<0.05). After the treatment, the integrated symptom score, residual urine volume, and frequencies of diurnal urination and urinary incontinence were significantly decreased, and the diurnal urination volume was obviously increased in comparison with their own pre-treatment in both groups(all P<0.05)． The therapeutic effect of the treatment group was significantly superior to that of the control group in reducing the integrated symptom score, residual urine volume, and frequencies of diurnal urination and urinary incontinence(P<0.05), and in increasing the diurnal urination volume(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Plum-blossom needle tapping plus moxibustion is an effective option for the treatment of PSNB in improving symptoms, in reducing the residual urine volume and frequencies of diurnal urination and urinary incontinence, and in increasing the diurnal urination volume, deserving being promoted in primary care.

Study Report on Mongolian Traditional Medicine / 日本東洋医学雑誌

History of Mongolian medicine could be traced back to 2000 years ago. Mongolian traditional medicine has been built over many years. We traveled Mongolia to visit a hospital and a private clinic where traditional Mongolian medicine is in practice, and visited National University of Medical Sciences. In this paper, we report the current status of traditional medicine in Mongolia. We visited Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences and conversed with the president, vicepresident, and director of the traditional medical department. We visited a clinic where Mongolian traditional medicine is performed and a hospital where mainly traditional therapies and practical development are carried out. In the hospital, they mainly provide acupuncture and moxibustion treatment, cupping therapy, herbal therapy, and thermotherapy. It cannot be denied that moxibustion treatment came from Mongolia, because it is also said that ‘the north' in “Huangdi Neijing Suwen” chapter 12 means Mongolia. However, as there is a background once traditional medicine has been kept away from the national health care system, it is difficult to find a specific medical practice for Mongolian medicine as far as we have viewed the present status of medical practice in Mongolia. Considering that the cultural exchange with Japan is being carried out in many other fields, we expect that a number of new facts will come to light in the near future.

Clinical Study on Medicinal-cake-separated Moxibustion Treatment for Mild-to-moderate Ulcerative Colitis of Spleen Deficiency and Dampness Type / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To explore clinical efficacy and mechanisms of medicinal-cake-separated moxibustion treatment for mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC) of spleen deficiency and dampness type.Methods Totally 60 cases were randomly divided into observation group and control group according to a random digits table, with 30 cases in each group. The control group was inserted into the anus with mesalamine suppository 1 g once a day, while the observation group was given medicinal-cake-separated moxibustion treatment once a day based on the treatment for the control group. Medicinal cake (Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata: Codonopsis Radix: Coptidix Rhizoma: Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma: Corydalis Rhizoma: Aucklandiae Radix=3:3:2:2:2:1) was put on the acupoints (Pishu, Zhongwan and Zusanli for the first group, Dachangshu, Tianshu and Shangjuxu for the second group, one group for each time, and 2 groups were used interchangeably). One wormwood cylinder was put on medicinal cake, 5 min each time, 3 doses each time, once a day. The treatment course for all was 8 weeks. The main symptom scores (diarrhea, bellyache, pus and blood stool) and total scores, colonoscopy Baron score and serum CC chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20) expression level were compared between before and after treatment in the two groups. The clinical efficacy was evaluated and the adverse reactions were observed.Results The total effective rate in observation group was 93.33% (28/30) and significantly higher than that of the control group of 76.67% (23/30). After the treatment, the main symptom scores and total scores, colonoscopy Baron score and serum CCL20 expression level were significantly lower than those of pre-treatment in the same one group (P0.05).Conclusion Medicinal-cake-separated moxibustion treatment is effective and safe in patients with mild-to-moderate UC of spleen deficiency and dampness type, which effects might be involved in regulating the expression of serum CCL20.

Teaching countermeasures on the student problems in the practice and training course of the science of acupuncture-moxibustion treatment / 中国针灸

The student problems existing in the practice and training course of acupuncture-moxibustion treatment include unsolid basic knowledge, inexperienced basic skills and poor comprehensive utilization ability. The writers proposed the effective countermeasures accordingly. Firstly, the students are required to go over the related knowledge in advance, targeting the weakness, and complement the basic knowledge. Secondly, the teachers provide the demonstration and guidance for the practice to improve the basic skills. Thirdly, the clinical simulation is adopted for the comprehensive training to enhance the comprehensive utilization ability. The countermeasures mentioned above improve effectively the basic skills and comprehensive ability in the students and lay the foundation for the future clinical work.

Research Progress of Acupuncture and Moxibustion on Spinal Cord Injury (review) / 中国康复理论与实践

@#Spinal cord injury is a kind of central nervous system diseases with high morbidity. Acupuncture and moxibustion has unique advantages in treating spinal cord injury and its complications including neurogenic bladder, neuropathic pain, intestinal disorders, and muscle spasms. This article reviewed the researches of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment on spinal cord injury. It is presented to provide reference for clinical research.

Quality Evaluation with randomized controlled trials on Acupuncture and Moxibustion Treating Depressive Neurosis / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective To assess the current situation and quality of clinical randomized controlled trials(RCTs) designed for accessing the treatment of depressive neurosis with acupuncture and moxibustion. Methods Relative clinical research literatures published from year 1980 to 2008 were collected, and composed into "evaluation to all literature of acupuncture and moxibustion treating depressive neurosis message table", according to the clinical epidemic disease and EBM. The quality evaluation on these trails were performed. Results There were altogether 15 articles included in this study. Among them, 5 articles used the correct randomized controlled trials (33.3%), 10 articles used the diagnostic criteria (66.6%), 10 articles used excluded criteria (66.6%), 12 articles used the therapeutic evaluation criteria (80%), 4 articles used blind treals (26.7%), 5 articles reported quit cases (33.3%), and 9 articles reported the adopted statistical methods (60%)4 articles Conclusion The quality of RCT of acupuncture and moxibustion for depressive neurosis needs to be improved.

Relationships between the attitude on moxibustion treatment and moxa weight-Investigation of students and visitors to the school- / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

[Purpose] People have various mental images of moxibustion treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between weight of moxa and perceptions of moxibustion treatment.<br>[Methods] We administered a questionnaire survey on moxibustion to 75 new students and visitors to this college. Furthermore, we instructed subjects to make a moxa as they imagined it would be used in moxibustion treatment, then measured these moxa.<br>[Result] The questionnaire survey had many replies indicating that moxibustion is associated with images of “hot”, “scar remains”, and “effective”.<br>Comparing the weights of moxa made by people with moxibustion experience to those made by people with no moxibustion experience, moxa was lighter for the experienced group than for the inexperienced group.<br>Furthermore, when weight of moxa was compared based on images of moxibustion, only moxa of the group with positive images of moxibustion tended to be light.<br>[Conclusion] Image size of the moxa appears to be connected with impressions and experiences of moxibustion treatment.

Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Rheumatoid Arthritis / 日本温泉気候物理医学会雑誌

We evaluated the efficacy, usefulness and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment in rheumatoid arthritis, by the randomized, parallel-group, multi-center study with the drug-treated outpatient group as the control. The endpoints, important in the clinical assessment of acupuncture treatment, included the improvement criteria in ACR core set variables and the Japanese version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales Version 2 (AIMS-2), a system of evaluation of the QOL of patients with RA.<br>Regarding intervention (therapy), a therapy chart for each stage of disease was drawn up to give local and systemic treatment in consideration of the patient's activity and disability in each stage of rheumatoid arthritis, so that generally consistent therapy adapted to the patient's condition would be provided. Result 1. Patients eligible for analysis were 80 patients of A-group (drug therapy group) (80 females, 2 males, 2dropped) and 90 patients of B-group (drug plus acupuncture and moxibustion group), total 170 patients. 2. Patients who satisfied the improvement criteria in ACR core set variables (improved patients) were 8 of 80 patients in A-group and 20 of 90 patients in B-group. The improvement rate was significantly higher for B-group treated by drug plus acupuncture and moxibustion versus A-group, with P=0.04 in 2×2 table chi square test. 3. In QOL change investigated by AIMS-2 questionnaire, the improvement occurred significantly more frequently in the drug plus acupuncture and moxibustion group, with difference between groups at 12 months after the initiation of clinical study at P=0.001. 4. Changes in the subjects included in AIMS-2 questionnaire: Improvement was significantly more frequent in the drug plus acupuncture and moxibustion group versus drug therapy group in respect to the ability to walk, finger function, housework, sociableness, pain, mood, and the degree of subjective improvement. In the present randomized, parallel-group, multicenter study, a significant improvement was detected in the drug plus acupuncture and moxibustion group versus the drug therapy group in the aforesaid respect, which suggested that the use of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with the conventional therapy would prevent deterioration of physical functions, improve blood circulation, stabilize mental status, and thereby contribute to the improvement of QOL in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Acupuncture and Moxibustion Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis-Multi-Center Randomized Controlled Trial of Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Rheumatoid Arthritis- / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

We evaluated the efficacy, usefulness and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), by the randomized, parallel-group, multi-center study with the drug-treated outpatient group as the control. The endpoints, important in the clinical assessment of acupuncture treatment, included the improvement criteria in ACR core set variables and the Japanese version of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales Version 2 (AIMS-2), a system of evaluation of the quality of life (QOL) of patients with RA.<BR>Regarding intervention (therapy), a therapy chart for each stage of disease was drawn up to give local and systemic treatment in consideration of the patient's activity and disability in each stage of RA, so that generally consistent therapy adapted to the patient's condition would be provided. Result 1. Patients eligible for analysis were 80 patients of A-group (drug therapy group) (80 females, 2 males) and 90 patients of B-group (drug plus acupuncture and moxibustion group), total 170 patients. 2. Patients who satisfied the improvement criteria in ACR core set variables (improved patients) were 8 of 80 patients in A-group and 20 of 90 patients in B-group. The improvement rate was significantly higher for B-group treated by drug plus acupuncture and moxibustion versus A-group, with P=0.04 in 2 (2 table chi square test. 3. In QOL change investigated by AIMS-2 questionnaire, the improvement occurred significantly more frequently in the drug plus acupuncture and moxibustion group, with difference between groups at 12 months after the initiation of clinical study at P=0.001. 4. Changes in the subjects included in AIMS-2 questionnaire : Improvement was significantly more frequent in the drug plus acupuncture and moxibustion group versus drug therapy group in respect to the ability to walk, finger function, housework, sociableness, pain, mood, and the degree of subjective improvement. In the present randomized, parallel-group, multicenter study, a significant improvement was detected in the drug plus acupuncture and moxibustion group versus the drug therapy group in the aforesaid respect, which suggested that the use of acupuncture and moxibustion combined with the conventional therapy would prevent deterioration of physical functions, improve blood circulation, stabilize mental status, and thereby contribute to the improvement of QOL in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Same Treatment for Different Diseases by Acupuncture Using the Seinetugedoku Needling Technique / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

The Seinetsugedoku (elimination of toxic heat) technique of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment usually involves needle insertion or bloodletting at acupoints such as Ch'u-Ch'ih (LI11), Wei-Chung (BL40), Ta-Chuei (GV14), Ho-ku (LI4), Nei-T'ings (ST44), Hand-Chings, and Foot-Chings. Fujimoto, the representative of the Hokushinkai group, devised a new Seinetsugedoku technique on the basis of the Huanglian Jiedu Tang described in “The Medical Secrets of an Official” and the theory of acupuncture and heat described in “Plain Questions” (chapter 32). This technique of associated points consisted of horizontal needle insertion into Ling-T'ai (GV10), bilateral TuShu (BL16) and Chi-Chung (GV6), and bilateral P'i-Shu (BL20). Treatment by this combination of points can markedly eliminate toxic heat in patients with febrile diseases in the Qi system. We confirmed this efficacy in 11 cases. Using this technique to treat patients with the same treatment for different diseases, we confirmed the range of conditions for which this Seinetsugedoku acupuncture technique is effective.