A systematic review of Tuina for cervical hypertension: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cervical hypertension is a secondary form of hypertension with a high incidence rate. As the main etiology of cervical hypertension is related to cervical spondylosis, commonly used antihypertensive drugs have poor efficacy in the treatment of cervical spondylosis, and improving the symptoms of cervical spondylosis can effectively reduce blood pressure. Massage can effectively improve the symptoms of patients with cervical hypertension, but there has been no systematic review of massage treatment for cervical hypertension. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of massage in patients with cervical hypertension. METHODS: Before February 10, 2022, a systematic literature search was conducted using the following databases: Embase, SinoMed (previously called the Chinese Biomedical Database), China Science and Technology Journal Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data. Review Manager software (version 5.3) will be used for statistical analysis. Quality and risk assessments of the included studies were performed, and the outcome indicators of the trials were observed. RESULTS: This meta-analysis further confirmed the beneficial effects of massage in patients with cervical hypertension. CONCLUSION: This study investigated the efficacy and safety of massage therapy in patients with cervical hypertension, providing clinicians and patients with additional options for the treatment of this disease.

Efficacy and safety of external therapy of TCM for primary dysmenorrhea: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a painful disease that severely affects the daily lives of young women. External therapy using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely used in the clinical treatment of this disease and has achieved a good effect. There are many kinds of TCM external therapies, but the effectiveness, safety, and advantages of various methods have not been confirmed by high-quality meta-analyses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of representative TCM external therapies in patients with PD. METHODS: Published randomized controlled trials that assessed the efficacy of these interventions in patients with PD were included. We searched the following electronic databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, China Science and Technology Journal, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database and other sources. The main outcomes included menstrual pain intensity and the clinical effectiveness rate. The secondary outcomes were the quality of life and safety. The meta-analysis will be performed using the Review Manager version 5.3 software. RESULTS: We will provide more practical results investigating the efficacy of external TCM therapy with high clinical frequency for PD patients in several respects, including the improvement of menstrual pain intensity, quality of life, and safety. CONCLUSION: This review systematically reviews the effectiveness and safety of common TCM external therapies for PD and provides clinicians with the best treatment options. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of external TCM therapy for PD. Since all data included were published, the systematic review did not require ethical approval. REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021297078.

Efficacy and safety of external therapy of TCM for diabetic peripheral vascular disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: In modern society, the incidence of diabetes is increasing yearly, and poor glycemic control can accelerate the progression and severity of diabetic peripheral vascular disease. External treatment with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used in the treatment of diabetes, but there is no systematic review on the external treatment of TCM for diabetic peripheral vascular disease; therefore, this study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis on the clinical efficacy and safety of external treatment of TCM in the treatment of diabetic peripheral vascular diseases. METHODS: We searched The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, China Science and Technology Journal, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and other sources from their respective inception dates to October 20, 2022, to identify potentially eligible studies. We will use Review Manager 5.4 software provided by the Cochrane Collaborative Network for statistical analysis. We then assessed the quality and risk of the included studies and observed their outcome measures. RESULTS: Changes in the bilateral femoral artery, popliteal artery, dorsal artery diameter, blood flow, ankle/brachial index, and dorsal foot temperature: An overall reduction in symptoms (a reduction in diabetes-related symptoms that occur only during the intervention or as a result of the intervention, including peripheral vascular disease). CONCLUSION: The objective of this meta-analysis was to investigate the influence of external treatment of traditional Chinese medicine on diabetic peripheral vascular disease and to provide more methods for the clinical prevention and treatment of diabetic peripheral vascular disease.