Effects of moxibustion at Yongquan (KI 1) on cognition function and lower limb motor function in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment of kidney essence deficiency / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effects of moxibustion at Yongquan（KI 1） on the cognitive function and lower limb motor function in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment of kidney essence deficiency.@*METHODS@#Eighty-four patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment of kidney essence deficiency were randomly divided into an observation group（42 cases，1 case dropped off）and a control group（42 cases，1 case dropped off）.The control group was treated with medication，electroacupuncture，rehabilitation training and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation（rTMS）；on the basis of the treatment as the control group，moxibustion at bilateral Yongquan（KI 1）was adopted in the observation group.Both groups were treated once a day，5 days a week with 2-day interval，4 weeks were required. The Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) score, mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score, Fugl-Meyer assessment-lower extremity (FMA-LE) score, Berg balance scale (BBS) score, functional independence measure (FIM) score, modified fall efficacy scale (MFES) score and scale for the differentiation of syndromes of vascular dementia (SDSVD) score before and after treatment were observed in the two groups.@*RESULTS@#After treatment，the MoCA, MMSE, FMA-LE, BBS, FIM and MFES scores were higher than those before treatment in both groups (P<0.05), and the scores in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment，the SDSVD scores were lower than those before treatment in both groups (P< 0.05), and the SDSVD score in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P< 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Moxibustion at Yongquan（KI 1） can improve the cognitive function and motor and balance function of lower limbs in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment of kidney essence deficiency，reduce the risk of fall and improve the quality of life.

Warming acupuncture combined with moxibustion at Yongquan (KI 1) for knee osteoarthritis with kidney-marrow deficiency: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the clinical effect between warming acupuncture combined with moxibustion at Yongquan (KI 1) and simple warming acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis with kidney-marrow deficiency.@*METHODS@#A total of 66 patients of knee osteoarthritis with kidney-marrow deficiency were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 33 cases in each one. Warming acupuncture was applied at Neixiyan (EX-LE 4), Dubi (ST 35), Zusanli (ST 36) and Xuanzhong (GB 39) on the affected side in both of the groups. In the observation group, mild moxibustion at bilateral Yongquan (KI 1) was adopted additionally. Each treatment lasted for 30 min, 3 times a week (once every other day), and the consecutive 6 weeks of treatment were required. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score (such as joint pain, stiffness and physical function), the amount of joint effusion and the serum contents of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were observed before and after treatment in the two groups.@*RESULTS@#The total effective rate in the observation group was 93.3% (28/30), which was superior to 87.1% (27/30) in the control group (<0.05). Compared before treatment, the pain scores, stiffness scores, physical function scores, the amount of joint effusion and the contents of IL-1β, TNF-α and hs-CRP after treatment were significantly reduced in the two groups (<0.05), and the improvements of these indices in the observation group were superior to the control group (<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Warming acupuncture combined with moxibustion at Yongquan (KI 1) can improve joint function, reduce the amount of joint effusion and the contents of inflammatory response indices for knee osteoarthritis with kidney-marrow deficiency. The therapeutic effect of warming acupuncture combined with moxibustion at Yongquan (KI 1) is better than simple warming acupuncture.