RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effects for vascular dementia (VD) of kidney essence deficiency among acupuncture at five mind points combined with modified kidneydecoction, simple acupuncture at five mind points and simple modified kidneydecoction.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 180 VD patients were randomly assigned into a combination group, an acupuncture group and a herb group, 60 cases in each one. The conventional western medication and rehabilitation training were for all the patients. The modified kidneydecoction was used in the herb group; acupuncture at Baihui (GV 20) and Sishencong (EX-HN 1) was applied in the acupuncture group; the above two methods were for the cases in the combination group. Acupuncture was used for 7 courses, twice a day, and 5 days as a course. The hasegawa dementia scale (HDS), the brief screening scale for dementia (BSSD) and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) were applied before and after treatment. The serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were detected before and after treatment. The effects were evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total effective rate of the combination group was 91.7% (55/60), which was better than 68.3% (41/60) in the herb group and 78.3% (47/60) in the acupuncture group (both<0.05). After treatment, the scores of HDS, BSSD and MMSE were higher than those before treatment in the three groups (all<0.05), and the scores in the combination group were superior to those in the other two groups (all<0.05). SOD and CGRP increased and LPO decreased after treatment in the three groups (all<0.05), and the results in the combination group were better (all<0.05). .</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Acupuncture at five mind points combined with modified kidneydecoction for VD is better than simple five mind acupuncture and simple modified kidneydecoction.</p>