[Post-stroke flaccid limb dysfunction treated with the comprehensive therapy of acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and rehabilitation: muti-center randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical value of the comprehensive therapy of acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and rehabilitation in the treatment of post-stroke flaccid limb dysfunction. METHODS: The four-center, single-blind, randomized and controlled research method was adopted, 240 qualified subjects were randomized into a comprehensive therapy group, an acupuncture group, a rehabilitation group and a Chinese herbal medicine group, 60 cases in each one, at the ratio of 1 1. In the comprehensive therapy group, the comprehensive therapy of acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and rehabilitation was applied. The acupuncture therapy included the scale acupuncture at middle line of vertex, lateral line 1 of vertex, lateral line 2 of vertex, etc. with the single reinforcing and reducing technique by the speed of needle insertion and withdrawal, and the body acupuncture therapy at the acupoints on the antagonistic muscles with the reinforcing and reducing technique by the needle rotation. The Chinese herbal medicine therapy included No. 1 stroke formula for the cases of liver and kidney yin deficiency and the upward disturbance of wind yang, No. 2 stroke formula for qi deficiency and blood stagnation, and the stagnation in meridians and No. 3 stroke formula for the interaction of phlegm and stasis and blockage of meridians according to the pattern/syndrome differentiation. The rehabilitation therapy focused on the promotion technique by putting the healthy limb. The simple acupuncture, rehabilitation and Chinese herbal medicine therapies as the comprehensive therapy group were applied in the acupuncture group, rehabilitation group and Chinese herbal medicine group separately. The Chinese medicine symptom, the limb motor function, the daily life activity, fainting needle reaction, allergic reaction and the others were taken as indices to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the treatment. RESULTS: (1) The results of the four indices named the Chinese medicine symptom, the limb motor function, the limb balance function, the daily life activity were all improved significantly after treatment as compared with those before treatment in four groups (all P < 0.01). (2) Concerning to the improvement degrees, the improvements of the above four indices in the comprehensive therapy group were more significant than those in the other three groups (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The improvement in Chinese medicine symptom in the acupuncture group and the Chinese herbal medicine group were more significant than that in the rehabilitation group (both P < 0.05). The improvement of the upper limb motor function in the acupuncture group was more significant than that in the rehabilitation group and the Chinese herbal medicine group separately (both P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The comprehensive therapeutic program of acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and rehabilitation is safe and effective in the treatment of post-stroke flaccid limb dysfunction. It is more advantageous in efficacy as compared with any simple therapy.

[Controlled study on treatment of cervical spondylopathy of the nerve root type with acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main].

OBJECTIVE: To probe into clinical value of comprehensive program of acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main for treatment of cervical spondylopathy of the nerve root type. METHODS: Five centers, single blind, randomized controlled method were used, 660 cases were divided into a treatment group of 317 cases and a control group of 311 cases. They were treated respectively with comprehensive program of acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main, and comprehensive program of physical therapy as main. Establish syndrome detection scale and multiply dimensional effect assessment indexes, and evaluate the therapeutic effects and safety. RESULTS: The cured rate, the cured-markedly effective rate were 42.9%, 64.4% in the treatment group, respectively, better than 16.7%, 36.3% in the control group (P<0.01); after treatment of 2 weeks, clinical symptoms improved in the both groups, but the treatment group was better than the control group in the improvement degrees of neck-shoulder-limb pain, neck rigidity, abnormality of cervical anteflexion, etc. (P<0.01 or P<0.05); the treatment group was shorter than the control group in the time of producing the effect and therapeutic course (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Comprehensive program of acupuncture, moxibustion and massage as main is safe and effective for treatment of cervical spondylopathy, with a better therapeutic effect compared with the comprehensive program of physical therapy.

[Multicentral randomized controlled study on acupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10) for treatment of infantile malnutrition].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate therapeutic effect of acupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10) on infantile malnutrition. METHODS: Multicentral, randomized, controlled and single blind test was adopted. 222 infants of malnutrition were divided into an acupuncture group (n=110) and a medicine group (n=112). The acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at bilateral Sifeng (EX-UE 10), once each week, for 4 times; and the medicine group were treated with oral administration of Yiqi Jianpi Oral Liquid, twice each day, one ample each time, for 4 weeks. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by improvement of symptoms and signs in the syndrome cumulative score scale, and changes of serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), pre-albumin (PA), hemoglobin and red-cell count. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-two cases were enrolled in the 4 centers and 212 cases completed the test. The acupuncture group in improvement of appetite, body weight, subcutaneous fat thickness of the abdomen, etc. were superior to the medicine group (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference between the two groups in improvement of the body height. There was no significant increase of serum IGF-I level in the two groups, and the acupuncture group in increase of PA was superior to the medicine group (P < 0.05). After treatment, hemoglobin and red-cell count increased significantly in the treatment group (P < 0.01), and hemoglobin increased significantly in the medicine group. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture at Sifeng (EX-UE 10) has obvious therapeutic effect on infantile malnutrition.

Efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion in treating Bell's palsy: a multicenter randomized controlled trial in China.

BACKGROUND: Bell's palsy involves acute facial paralysis due to inflammation of the facial nerve. Acupuncture and moxibustion (acu-moxi) is beneficial in treating facial palsy. In order to verify the efficacy of acu-moxi on Bell's palsy, a randomized single-blind, multicenter clinical trial was performed. METHODS: A total of 480 patients from four clinical centers were involved in this trial, of whom 439 completed the trial and 41 did not. All patients were randomly assigned to either the control group or to one of two treatment groups. The control group was treated with prednisone, vitamin B1, vitamin B12, and dibazole; the treatment groups were treated either with acu-moxi alone or in combination with prednisone, Vitamin B1, vitamin B12, and dibazole. Symptoms and signs, the House-Brackmann scale, and facial disability index (FDI) scores were assessed and determined both pre- and post-treatment to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment methods. RESULTS: The characteristics of the control and two treatment groups were comparable without statistically significant differences before treatment. There were significant differences between the control and treatment groups after treatment (chi(2) = 15.265, P = 0.018). According to evaluations based on the House-Brackmann scale and FDI scores, the effectiveness of treatment in the two treatment groups was better than in the control group and was most effective in patients receiving acu-moxi treatment alone (Z = -2.827, P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: The efficacy of acu-moxi treatment for Bell's palsy is verified scientifically.