Chief physician Zhang Tang-fa's experience of acupuncture for gouty arthritis / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

ABSTRACT

Skillful in the treatment of gouty arthritis (GA) by integrated therapies of Chinese and Western medicine,chief physician Zhang Tang-fa proposes to ‘deal with the exterior with the needles,and attack the interior with the drugs,by integrated application of acupuncture and herbal medicine',in combination with comprehensive intervention of dietetic therapy and health education.In the treatment of GA,he adopts the syndrome differentiation based upon the pathogenic factors,in combination of syndrome differentiation based upon the six meridians,to reinforce and benefit the spleen and kidney,clear away heat and remove dampness as the therapeutic principle.By acupuncture mainly at the acupoints of the Spleen and Liver Meridians,he also proposes to select the acupoints by the theory of Na Zi Fa (earthly branch method) of Zi Wu Liu Zhu (midnight-noon ebb-flow),and to puncture the surrounding area of the involved joints shallowly by multiple needles as the major needling method,simultaneously with the reinforcing and reducing manipulations based upon the respiration.In the treatment,acupuncture and acupoint-injection are often used.In diet,low purine diet is often suggested.In health education,the patients are often instructed to understand the disease correctly,eliminate fears and cooperate with doctor's treatment positively.