Some Chinese folk prescriptions for wind-cold type common cold.

Although self-limiting, the common cold (gǎn mào) is highly prevalent. There are no effective antivirals to cure the common cold and few effective measures to prevent it, However, for thousands years, Chinese people have treated the common cold with natural herbs, According to the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory ( zhong yi lǐ lùn), the common cold is considered as an exterior syndrome, which can be further divided into the wind-cold type ( feng hán xíng), the wind-heat type ( feng rè xíng), and the summer heat dampness type ( shǔ rè xíng). Since the most common type of common cold caught in winter and spring is the wind-cold type, the article introduced some Chinese folk prescriptions for the wind-cold type common cold with normal and weak physique, respectively. For thousands of years, Chinese folk prescriptions for the common cold, as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM; bǔ chong yǔ tì dài yi xué), have been proven to be effective, convenient, cheap, and most importantly, safe. The Chinese folk prescriptions ( zhong guó mín jian chǔ fang) for the wind-cold type common cold are quite suitable for general practitioners or patients with the wind-cold type common cold, to treat the disease. Of course, their pharmacological features and mechanisms of action need to be further studied.

Efficacy observation of chronic pelvic inflammation of different differentiated patterns/syndromes treated with acupoint embedding therapy / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the clinical efficacy on chronic pelvic inflammation between the acupoint embedding therapy and acupuncture, and to compare the efficacy of different patterns/syndroms in differentiation treated with acupoint embedding therapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Two hundred and eighteen cases were randomized into an embedding therapy group (115 cases) and an acupuncture group (103 cases). In both groups, Shenshu (BL 23), Guanyuanshu (BL 26), Zigong (EX-CA 1), Yaoyangguan (GV 3), Guanyuan (CV 4) and Qihai (CV 6) were selected as the main points. For qi and blood stagnation pattern/syndrome, Zhongdu (LR 6), Diji (SP 8) and the others were added; for cold and damp stagnation pattern/syndrome, Diji (SP 8) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) were added; for stasis and phlegm pattern/syndrome due to spleen deficiency, Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Zusanli (ST 36) were added. In the embedding therapy group, the catgut was embedded at 7 - 13 acupoints each time, once every 10 days. In the acupuncture group, the conventional acupuncture therapy was applied, once a day. The symptom scores were assessed in the aspects of the lower abdominal pain severity and attack frequency, lumbosacral soreness and distention, abnormality of vaginal discharge and the others. The efficacy was compared between the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total effective rate was 93.0% (107/115) in the embedding therapy group, which was better than 83.5% (86/103) in the acupuncture group (P < 0.05). The symptom scores were all reduced after treatment in the two groups (all P < 0.05). In the embedding therapy group, the efficacies were not significantly different among different patterns/syndromes (all P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The acupoint embedding therapy achieves the definite efficacy on chronic pelvic inflammation and obtains the similar efficacies among the different differentiated patterns/syndromes of the disease.</p>