[Clinical effect of different schemes of mild moxibustion for treatment of knee osteoarthritis].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of different schemes of mild moxibustion for treatment of (yang-deficiency induced cold-accumulation type)knee osteoarthritis (KOA). METHODS: Fifty-nine KOA patients were chosen and randomly divided into control group (n =30) and test group (n =29). Patients of the control group were treated by mild moxi- bustion of Neixiyan (EX-HE4) and Waixiyan (ST 35) for 30 min, once daily for 14 days (two courses), and those of the test group were treated by mild moxibustion of EX-HE 4 and ST 35 for 30 mini once daily for 7 days (the same to control group), followed by moxibustion of Yaoyangguan (GV 3) and Mingmen (GV 4) once daily for next 7 days more. In addition, patients of the two groups were also treated by routine acupuncture stimulation of EX-HE 4, ST 35, Yanglingquan (GB 34), Kunlun (BL 60), etc. The interval between two therapeutic courses was one day. The Lysholm Knee Score Scale (LKSS) was used to evaluate the therapeutic effect. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was employed to assess the patient's knee-joint pain severity (arthralgia), and scores of morning stiffness, arthrocele, and walking restraint degree of the knee-joint were also evaluated before and after the treatment. RESULTS: After the treatment, the scores of VAS, morning stiffness, arthrocele and walking restraint degree of the knee-joint of both groups were significantly decreased (P<0. 05), and the scores of the test group were obviously lower than those of the con- trol group (P<0. 05). The effective rate of the test group was 89.66% (26/29)which was obviously higher than that (70.00%, 21/30) of the control group (P<0. 05). CONCLUSION: Mild moxibustion of Neixiyan (EX-HE 4) and Waixiyan (ST 35, local acu- points), and Yaoyangguan (GV 3) and Mingmen (GV 4) has a better therapeutic effect for KOA patients than moxibustion of local acupoints only.

[Relationship between patients' sensitivity to moxibustion stimulation and clinical effect in the treatment of peripheral facial palsy].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcome difference between the heat-sensitive and non-sensitive moxibustion stimulation of Yifeng (TE 17) in the treatment of peripheral facial palsy. METHODS: A total of 43 patients with peripheral facial paralysis were divided into heat-sensitive moxibustion (n = 21) and non-sensitive moxibustion (n = 22) groups in accordance with their reactions to moxa-heat stimulation. Mild moxibustion was applied to bilateral Yifeng (TE 17) for 45 minutes, followed by mild acupuncture stimulation of Cuanzhu (BL 2), Yangbai (GB 14), Sibai (ST 2), Hegu (LI 4), etc. Moxibustion treatment was conducted once daily for 10 days, and acupuncture treatment given once daily for 20 days (with 2 days interval between every 10 days). Following moxibustion, if the patient felt regional heat penetrating to the deep tissue, extending peripherally, or propagating to other part of the body, or felt mild warm in the stimulated region but warmer in the slightly distant part, or felt mild warm on the skin surface but warmer in the deep tissue, it was considered to be heat-sensitivity. Patients with occurrence of heat-sensitivity being equal to and more than 3 times during the 10 sessions of treatment were assigned to heat-sensitive group, and those with occurrence of heat-sensitivity being equal to or less than 2 times assigned to non-sensitive moxibustion group. According to Portmann Scale (including movement and resting posture) for the voluntary movement state of the face, forehead, winkles eye closure, open mouth smile, snarl, and pucker; points 0, 1, 2 and 3 indicate no muscular movement, marked asynersis, asynersis and normal, respectively. In the light of resting posture of the eye, the nasolabial fold and mouth corner, 0, 1, and 2 points indicate severe, mild dissymmetry and normal, separately. In evaluation of the therapeutic effect, twenty points (at most) indicate cured, 17-19 points marked improvement; 14- 16 points improved, and < or = 13 points failure. RESULTS: Compared with pre-treatment, Portmann scores of both heat-sensitive moxibustion and non-sensitive moxibustion groups were significantly increased after the treatment (P < 0.001), and the score of the heat-sensitive moxibustion group was markedly higher than that of the non-sensitive moxibustion group (P < 0.05). Of the 21 and 22 facial palsy patients in the heat-sensitive moxibustion and non-sensitive moxibustion groups, 8 and 5 cases were cured, 10 and 7 were markedly effective, 3 and 10 were improved, with the markedly effective rates being 85.71% and 54.55%, respectively. The therapeutic effect of the heat-sensitive moxibustion group was statistically better (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Heat-sensitive moxibustion is significantly superior to non-sensitive moxibustion in improving symptoms of peripheral facial palsy patients, suggesting a necessity for paying attention to patients' reactions during moxibustion treatment.