Forty Cases of Gastrointestinal Neurosis Treated by Acupunture

Objective： To compare the therapeutic effect of acupuncture for gastrointestinal neurosis with that of oral remedy. Methods： Eighty cases were randomly divided into the following 2 groups. In the treatment group, acupuncture was given for one month at the main points of Zhongwan （CV 12）, Zusanli （ST 36）, Taichong （LR 3） and Shenmen （HT 7）, with the auxiliary points selected according to TCM differentiation. In the control group, Domperidone was orally administered for one month. Results： The total effective rate was 92.5% in the treatment group and 75.0% in the control group, with a significant difference between the 2 groups 0（2=4.423, P〈0.05）. Acupuncture was superior to the oral remedy in therapeutic effects. Conclusions： Acupuncture may show better results for gastrointestinal neurosis and with less toxic side effects.     

Diagnosis and objective pain assessment of traditional Chinese medicine may be useful to demonstrate specific effects of acupuncture in low back pain: A prospective, randomized, controlled and single blinded pre-study

Objective： To prove specific effects of acupuncture on chronic pain. It was speculated that the potential specific effectiveness of acupuncture could be better shown in more properly designed studies. Therefore, diagnoses of both Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） were used as inclusion criteria to allocate acupoints more precisely to the complaints of the patients. Secondly, objectively measurable parameters of pain relief in addition to usual Visual Analogue Scale （VAS） were chosen to quantify the effects of acupuncture. Methods： The study was prospective, randomized, controlled and single-blinded. Eighteen patients with chronic back pain and TCM diagnosis of a Taiyang/Yangming syndrome received one single session of acupuncture chosen according to TCM diagnosis or acupuncture on points outside the meridian system （controls）. We evaluated pain via VAS and increased mobility via inclinometry of the back. Results： Although the sample size was small, there was a statistically significant improvement in pain and mobility in the intervention group （n=13）, but not in the control group （n=5）. The calculated sample size adequate power was lower for inclinometry than for VAS, indicating that VAS is less probable to discriminate acupuncture effects. Conclusion： Objectively measurable physical parameters such as the angle of flexion before and after acupuncture （inclinometry） may be more suitable to measure pain relief than subjective assessment by VAS in acupuncture studies. TCM diagnosis may be a helpful inclusion criterion in studies on acupuncture, so as to potentially allocate interventions better to the complaints of patients.     

Clinical observation on acupuncture plus acupoint sticking for bronchial asthma in remissive state

Objective： To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture plus acupoint sticking for bronchial asthma in remissive state. Methods： A total of 210 cases with asthma at remissive state were randomly allocated into an acupuncture group of 100 cases and a comprehensive therapy group of 110 cases. Cases in the acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture alone, and cases in the comprehensive therapy group were treated with acupuncture plus acupoint sticking therapy. Then the therapeutic efficacies were compared using observation indexes including wheezing, cough and coughing up phlegm, peak expiratory flow （PEF） and forced expiratory volume in one second （FEV1）. In addition, the overall therapeutic efficacies were also analyzed on different traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） patterns. Results： The comprehensive therapy obtained better effects than acupuncture alone in alleviating cough and coughing up phlegm and improving PEF and FEV1; the overall efficacies on asthma due to lung-qi deficiency and spleen-qi deficiency were better than those on asthma due to kidney-qi deficiency. Conclusion： Acupuncture plus acupoint sticking is a convenient and effective therapy for asthma at remissive state and therefore worthy of being popularized.     

The Safety of Electroacupuncture at Hegu （LI 4） plus Oxytocin for Hastening Uterine Contraction of Puerperants --A Randomized Controlled Clinical Observation

To investigate the safety of electroacupuncture plus oxytocin for uterine contraction of puerperants. Methods： 276 puerperants with difficult labor were randomly divided into a medication group, treated with intravenous dripping of oxytocin, and an acupuncture plus medication group, in the medication group, intravenous dripping of oxytocin was given, and in the other group, acupuncture at bilateral Hegu （LI 4） was added. Heart rate, respiratory frequency, blood pressure of puerperants, fetal heart rate and birth process were observed. Results： During laboring, the indices observed, including heart rate, respiratory frequency, blood pressure, fetal heart rate and birth process, were all in normal range in all of the 276 cases, with better effects in acupuncture plus medication Group M. Conclusions： Electroacupuncture at bilateral Hegu （LI 4） plus intravenous dripping of oxytocin can intensify the uterine contraction, shorten the birth process to avoid probable systemic exhaustion due to excessive consumption, and with no side effects on life signs of the puernerants and newborns.     

Effect of acupuncture anesthesia on acne vulgaris of pricking-blood- letting cupping： a single-blind randomized clinical trail

OBJECTIVE： To evaluate the effect on acne vul- garis of pricking-bloodletting cupping at Dazhui （GV 14） under acupuncture anesthesia, and estab- lish whether providing anesthesia to the treat- ment area by manipulating Hegu （LI 4） and Quchi （LI 11） might have an additional therapeutic bene- fit. METHODS： Thirty-eight patients were recruited and randomized into a control group and an inter- vention group with a single-blind （observer-blind） method. The control group was treated by prick- ing-bloodletting cupping at Dazhui （GV 14） and the studied group by pricking-bloodletting cupping at Dazhui （GV 14） under acupuncture anesthesia at Hegu （LI 4） and Quchi （LI 11）. Both groups were treated twice weekly for 6 weeks. The analgesic and therapeutic effects of acupuncture were evaluated on a visual analog scale （VAS） and global acne grad- ing system （GAGS）, respectively.RESULTS： There were differences in the VAS scores of pain on pricking and in the pricked area, and the duration of pain between the groups. After 12 treat- ments, there was a significant reduction in GAGS scores from baseline in both groups, but there was no significant difference between the groups. CONCLUSION： Acupuncture anesthesia at Hegu （LI 4） and Quchi （LI 11） is an effective means of alleviat- ing the pain of pricking-bloodletting cupping and reducing the duration of pain in the treatment ar- ea. Pricking-bloodletting cupping at Dazhui （GV 14） improves the skin lesions of patients with moder- ate acne vulgaris, but acupuncture anesthesia does not appear to have an additional therapeutic effect.     

Thirty Cases of the Blood-Stasis Type Prolapse of Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Treated by Acupuncture at the Xi （cleft） Point plus Herbal Intervention Injection

Objective： To observe the cfinical therapeutic effects and explore the mechanism of acupuncture at the xi （cleft） points combined with herbal intervention injection for treatment of prolapse of the lumbar intervertebral disc with TCM symptoms and signs of blood stasis. Methods： The 60 cases in this series were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group, 30 cases in each group. The patients in the treatment group were treated by acupuncture at Jiaji L4-S1, Waiqiu （GB 36）, Weizhong （BL 40） and Xiaxi （GB 43） plus intervention injection of Gegensu Zhusheye （葛根素注射液 Puerarin Injectio）. The patients of the control group were given the routine acupuncture combined with injection of Gegensu Zhusheye （葛根素注射液 Puerarin Injectio） into the Ashi points. The changes in interleukin-6 （IL-6） and hemodynamics were observed before and after treatment in both the two groups. Results： The total therapeutic effect in the treatment group was obviously better （P〈0.05） and the treatment course was obviously shorter than that of the control group （P〈0.01）. After the treatment, the total score, the visual analog scale （VAS） pain-evaluating score, and the score in straight-leg raising test were obviously improved in both the two groups, in which the improvement in the treatment group shown by the score in straight-leg raising test and the total score superior to that of the control group （P〈0.05）. The IL-6 level, red blood cell ratio, K value of blood sedimentation equation, and whole blood high shearing specific viscosity were improved in both the two groups, but the treatment group showed better improvement than that of the control group in the red blood cell ratio, K value of blood sedimentation, and IL-6 level （P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. Conclusions： The treatment group was superior to the control group in improvement of the symptoms and signs, the daily life ability, and in pain alleviation. The mechanism is possibly related with the impro     

Effect of combining acupuncture and functional training on post-stroke functional impairment of hand

Objective： To observe the clinical effect of combining acupuncture and functional training on post-stroke functional impairment of hand. Methods： A total of 165 cases who met the inclusion criteria were randomized into a treatment group （85 cases） and a control group （80 cases）. Cases in the treatment group were treated with routine acupuncture points plus Shixuan （EX-UE 11） and Xiaohai （SI 8）, whereas cases in the control group were treated with routine acupuncture points alone. After acupuncture, cases in both groups conducted functional training in upper limbs. The finger grip strength and hand function were assessed before and after 3-course treatment. Results： Cases in the treatment group obtained better finger grip strength and hand function than those in the control group （both P〈0.05）. Conclusion： In addition to functional training, adding Shixuan （EX-UE 11） and Xiaohai （SI 8） to traditional acupuncture formulae works better for post-stroke functional impairment of hand.     

Capillary blood flow in patients with dysmenorrhea treated with acupuncture

OBJECTIVE; To observe capillary blood flow at acu- points during acupuncture treatment of primary dysmenorrhea and gain new insights into its anal- gesic mechanism. METHODS： Patients with primary dysmenorrhea were enrolled and randomly assigned to a treat- ment or control group. Subjects＇ symptoms were differentiated into various Traditional Chinese Medi- cine （TCM） syndromes and treated for 10 sessions with puncturing acupuncture or self-pressing right-hand Hegu （LI 4）, adding other acupoints based on syndrome. Laser speckle was used tocompare the change in the vasomotor amplitude and perfusion of the capillaries in Hegu （LI 4） be- fore and during the treatment. Each subject was re- quired to finish the period pain symptoms observa- tion form, verbal rating scales, numerical rating scale, pain rating index, face rating scale, Zung self-rating depression scale, Zung self-rating anxi- ety scale, and numerical rating scale before and af- ter treatments. RESULTS： After 10 sessions, the symptom scores, pain index （PI）, and visual analog scale （VAS） de- creased significantly in treatment group. The vol- ume of blood flow in Hegu （LI 4） declined slightly. No significant evidence supported that needling caused capillary contraction, but the capillary vaso- motor amplitude at Hegu （LI 4） increased remark- ably. CONCLUSION： Acupuncture can increase the capil- lary blood flow, thus promoting the flow of Qi and blood in terms of TCM theory, which facilitates pain relief.     

Clinical Observation on Acupuncture Treatment of Intractable Insomnia

Objective：To observe the effects of acupuncture for treatment of intractable insomnia.Methods：Totally 90 patients were randomly divided into a treatment group（50 cases） ,treated by the body acupuncture plus auricular-plaster therapy,and a control group（40 cases） ,the Baihui（GV 20） -through-Sishencong（EX-HN1） puncture,auricular-plaster therapy and moxibustion on the back-shu points were not used in the control group.The clinical effects were observed.Results：The total effective rate was 98.0%in the treatment group and 77.5%in the control group.The therapeutic effect in the treatment group was much better than that in the control group（P〈0.01） .Conclusion：The body acupuncture plus auricular-plaster therapy may show better effect for intractable insomnia.     

The Mind-Tranquilizing and Menstruation-Regulating Method for Acupuncture Treatment of Delayed Menstrual Cycle --A Clinical Controlled Study

Objective： To compare the therapeutic effects of the mind-tranquilizing and menstruation-regulating acupuncture method with the routine acupuncture method in treating delayed menstrual cycle. Methods： 40 patients with delayed menstrual cycle were randomly divided into a treatment group of 23 cases （treated by the mind-tranquilizing and menstruation-regulating acupuncture method）, and a control group of 17 cases （treated by the routine acupuncture method for delayed menstrual cycle due to stagnation of the liver-qi）. The treatment involved three menstrual cycles. The evaluations were done by scoring the symptoms before treatment and at the end of each menstrual cycle. Results： After treatment, significant differences were found between the two groups in the therapeutic effects （P〈0.05）. Conclusion： The therapeutic effect of the mind-tranquilizing and menstruation-regulating acupuncture method is significantly superior to that of the routine acupuncture method for delayed menstrual cycle.     

Clinical observation on Dong’s extraordinary points for tinnitus due to cervical spondylosis

Objective： To observe the clinical efficacy of Dong＇s extraordinary points in treating tinnitus due to cervical spondylosis. Methods： Totally 140 eligible subjects diagnosed with tinnitus due to cervical spondylosis were randomized into two groups, seventy in the treatment group were intervened by acupuncture at Dong＇s extraordinary points; seventy in the control group were intervened by acupuncture at cervical Jiaji （EX-B 2） and distal points on limbs. Therapeutic efficacy was observed after a treatment course. Results： The total effective rate was 95.7% in the treatment group versus 85.7% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant （P〈0.05）. Conclusion： Compared to traditional point selection, acupuncture at Dong＇s extraordinary points has advantages of fewer points, less pain, faster effect, and better therapeutic efficacy.     

Acupuncture Combined with Music Therapy for Treatment of 30 Cases of Cerebral Palsy

To observe clinical therapeutic effects of acupuncture combined with music therapy for treatment of cerebral palsy. Methods： Sixty children with cerebral palsy were randomly divided into an acupuncture group （Group Acup.） and an acupuncture plus music group （Group Acup.＋ M）. Simple acupuncture was applied in Group Acup., and acupuncture at 5 groups of points plus music were applied in Group Acup. ＋M., The treatment was given once every two days with 3 treatments weekly, and 36 treatments constituted a therapeutic course. Therapeutic effects including movement improvement were observed for comparison after 3 courses of treatments. Results： The comprehensive functions were elevated in both groups, and the total effective rate in Group Acup. ＋ M was obviously better than that in Group Acup （P〈0.05）. Movement functions were also improved in both groups, but the differences in improvement of creeping and kneeling, standing, and walking were significant between the two groups （P〈0.01）, showing the effect in Group Acup. ＋ M was better than that in Group Acup.. Conclusion： The therapy of acupuncture plus music gained better therapeutic effect on cerebral palsy than simple acupuncture, which provided new thoughts for treating the disease by comprehensive therapies.     

Effects of Acupuncture at 7-9 am and 3-5 pm on Plasma Thromboxane and Prostaglandin in Patients with Ischemic Cerebrovascular Disease

Objective：To observe the effects of acupuncture at different times on plasma thromboxane（TXB2） and prostaglandin 6-Keto-PGF1a（6-K-P） in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease.Methods：Totally 90 patients were randomly divided into a group acupunctured at 7-9 am,a group acupunctured at 3-5 pm and a drug control group,with 30 cases in each group.The contents of plasma TXB2 and 6-K-P from venous blood before treatment were compared with those 15 days after treatment.Results：The plasma TXB2 levels of the two acupuncture groups were obviously lower than those before treatment（P〈0.05,P〈0.01） ,but the 6-K-P levels of both the acupuncture groups were remarkably higher than those before treatment（P〈0.05,P〈0.01） . And the TXB2 level in the 3-5 pm acupuncture group was obviously lower than that in the 7-9 am acupuncture group（P〈0.05） ,and the 6-K-P level of the former was obviously higher than that of the latter（P〈0.05） .Conclusion：Acupuncture can promote functional recovery in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease and enhance their survival quality.     

Acupuncture and moxibustion for the elderly patients with depression:A randomized controlled trial

Objective:To identify the effects of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy by soothing liver and regulating mind on the quality of life among the elders with depression.Methods:This was a single-blind,randomized,controlled trial of 75 elders with depression conducted in Guangdong Province,China,in January to December 2010.Eligible patients were randomly divided into three treatment groups.22 patients received acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of soothing liver and regulating mind[group A,in acupuncture procedure:Hegu(合谷 L14),Taichong(太冲 LR3),Baihui(百会 GV20)and Yinting(印堂 GV29)were selected,in moxibustion procedure,bilateral Geshu(膈俞 BL17)and Danshu(胆俞 BL19)were selected,the moxibustion cones was placed on the acupoints,five cones were given to each point.In intradermal needling procedure,Xinshu(心俞 BL15),and Ganshu(肝俞 BL18)were selected].28 patients received acupoint shallow puncturing treatment(group B,patients received the same acupoints as in the group A,with a 2-3 mm needling depth and no needle sensation was required.A shorter duration of moxibustion and only 1-2 mm of needle body was inserted into the points when intradermal needling).25 patients received non-acupoint shallow puncturing treatment(group C,patients received non-acupoint shallow puncturing at points 10 mm lateral to LI4 and LR3,10 mm left side of GV20 and GV29 in acupuncture procedure;10 mm lateral to BL17 and BL19 in moxibustion procedure;10 mm lateral to BL15 and BL18 in intradermal needling procedure,with the same manipulation method as that in the group B).In all three groups,the treatment was given twice a week for 12 weeks.The Short Form(36)Health Survey(SF36)and TCM Symptom Scale Score as clinical efficacy and quality of life were used to quantitatively assess patients' outcomes before and after treatment.Results:The TCM Symptom Scale scores showed significant differences between the group A and C,and between group B and C(both P0.05),while there was no significant difference between group A and B(P0.05).An item-by-item analysis of the SF36 showed the elders in group A obtained the highest scores at each time point after treatment(all P0.05).Among the results,mental health and report health transition items showed no significant differences between the group A and group B at time point of after treatment(all P0.05).Vitality and social functioning items at a month after treatment time point,social functioning and report:health transition items at 3 months after treatment time point,role emotional item at after treatment time point showed no significant differences between the group B and group C(all P0.05).Conclusions:The therapeutic effect of acupuncture and moxibustion by soothing liver and regulating mind can obviously improve the quality of life of depression elders.     

Clinical Observation on Combination of Acupuncture and Medication in Treating Breast Hyperplasia简

Objective： To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture combined with medication in treating breast hyperplasia. Methods： One hundred patients with breast hyperplasia who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into an acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese medicine（A＆TCM） group and a traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） group, 50 cases in each group. The A＆TCM group received acupuncture combined with oral TCM; the TCM group only received oral TCM. After two courses of treatment, the efficacy was observed. Results： During the two treatment courses, the recovery rates had been increasing in both groups. The recovery rate of the A＆TCM group was 40.0% and the total effective rate was 98.0%. While the recovery rate of the TCM group was 18.0% and the total effective rate was 80.0%. According to statistical analysis, the differences of recovery rate and total effective rate between the two groups were statistically significant（P〈0.01）. Conclusion： Combination of acupuncture and TCM is more effective than simple oral TCM.     

Clinical curative effect of electric acupuncture on acute cerebral in- farction： a randomized controlled multicenter trial

OBJECTIVE： To examine whether electric acupuncture can improve the daily life of patients with ischemic cerebral apoplexy at acute stage.METHODS： A stratified-block randomized controlled multicenter trial was designed for this study.Totally 340 patients with acute ischemic cerebral apoplexy were randomly divided into an electric acupuncture group and a control group. In the electric acupuncture group, 170 patients were treated with electric acupuncture and routine therapy, and170 patients in the control group with routine therapy alone. Major indexes for judging curative effect were Barthel index at 3- and 6- months follow-up visits and number of re-hospitalized patients. Mi-nor indexes for judging curative effect were change in the score for nervous dysfunction at 4and 12 weeks follow-up visits and number of patients persisting in rehabilitation treatment with acupuncture during follow-up visit.RESULTS： Baseline data at the time of case selection between the two groups were similar. The odds ratio（OR） was 0.92, and the 95% confidence interval（CI） was 0.49-1.73 in disabled rate and 0.73 and 0.51-1.05 in the number of re-hospitalized patients in the electric acupuncture group at 6-month follow up visit compared with the control group.There was no difference in the score for nervous dysfunction at the end of 12-week follow-up visit between the two groups. The score for nervous dysfunction at the end of 4-week treatment in the electric acupuncture group was significantly higher than that in the control group（P〈0.05）. The number of patients discharged from hospital who persisted in rehabilitation treatment with acupuncture in the acupuncture group was significantly higher than that in the control group.CONCLUSION： Using electric acupuncture to treat patients with acute ischemic cerebral apoplexy can effectively improve the nervous dysfunction scores after 4-week treatment and their ability to deal with daily life after 6-month follow-up visit. Systematic treatment with acupuncture may also reduc     

Effects of Different Acupuncture Stimulations on NO Content in Acupoint Areas

Objective：To study the effects of different acupuncture stimulation on nitric oxide（NO） content in acupoint areas.Methods：The experiment was performed in 47 healthy volunteers providing informed consents.Both males and females were included in each group：11 cases in electro-acupuncture group,13 cases in manual-acupuncture group,16 cases in warm-moxibustion group,and 7 cases in control group.Stimulations were given at Jianshi（PC 5） of the Pericardium Meridian and Chengshan（BL 57） of the Bladder Meridian with manual-acupuncture,electro-acupuncture and warm-moxibustion respectively.NO was collected from Ximen（PC 4） and Chengjin（BL 56） areas on the ipsilateral meridians,and the content was detected.Results：The content of NO in the warm-moxibustion group was higher than that in the electro-acupuncture group,the content in electro-acupuncture group was higher than that in the manual acupuncture group（P〈0.05） . Conclusion：All the three stimulations can raise NO levels on acupoint areas significantly,and the effect moxibustion is superior to that of electro-acupuncture and manual acupuncture.     

TREATMENT OF RADICULAR CERVICAL SPONDYLOSIS WITH ACUPUNCTURE AND SHA-SCRAPPING THERAPY(刮痧疗法)

One hundred and twenty-six cases were divided at random into acupuncture plus Sha-scrapping group（or combination group）,single Sha-scrapping group and single acupuncture group.The results show that there are remarkabk differences in therapeutic effects among the three groups.In addition,the Instant effect,frequencies of the theatment and influence factors on therapeutic effectin these groups were also compared and analyzed.It is suggested that curative effect in acupunctureplus Sha-scrapping group was markedly superior to those in the other two groups.     

Cervical Spondylosis Treated by Acupuncture at Ligou （LR 5） Combined with Movement Therapy

Objective： To compare therapeutic effects of acupuncture at Ligou （LR 5） plus movement therapy and conventional acupuncture on cervical spondylosis. Methods： The therapeutic effect of acupuncture at Ligou （LR 5） plus movement therapy on 57 cases of cervical spondylosis （Group Acup.＋M） was observed and compared with that of conventional acupuncture （Group Acup.） on 65 cases of cervical spondylosis with the same types of the disease during the same observation period as those treated by the former therapy. Results： The cured rate, effective rate and total effective rate were 52.63%, 45.61% and 98.24%, respectively in Group Acup.＋M; 46.15%, 50.77% and 96.92%, respectively in Group Acup. There were no significant differences in therapeutic effects between the two groups, shown by Ridit test （P〉0.05）. Conclusion： Both acupuncture plus movement therapy and conventional acupuncture were similarly effective in treating cervical spondylosis, but the former was superior to the latter in shorter treatment course and fewer points used.