[WU Xu's experience of sequential therapy for peripheral facial paralysis].

The paper introduces professor WU Xu 's experience of sequential therapy for peripheral facial paralysis. The sequential therapy refers to a staging treatment, but not rigidly adheres to it. With this therapy, the acupuncture- moxibustion regimen is modified flexibly in line with the specific symptoms of illness. At the acute phase of peripheral facial paralysis, warm acupuncture at Wangu (GB 12) is predominated and electroacupuncture is not recommended at the acupoints on the face. At the recovery phase, warm acupuncture at Zusanli (ST 36) is the main therapy and electroacupuncture is applied to the acupoints on the face appropriately. Besides, for the intractable case, the tapping technique with plum-blossom needle or skin needle should be combined and exerted in the local affected region. At the sequelae phase, in order to shorten the duration of illness, depending on the different types of facial paralysis, i.e. stiffness type, spasmodic type and flaccid type, the corresponding needling techniques are provided, i.e. bloodletting and moxibustion, strong stimulation with contralateral acupuncture and the technique for promoting the governor vessel and warming up yang.

Traditional Chinese Eight Brocade Exercise Prescription for Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Quantitative Synthesis.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this research was to assess the safety and effectiveness of traditional Chinese Eight Brocade exercise for ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS: A literature search was conducted using twelve databases (Web of Science, EBSCO, AMED, SCOPUS, CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, DBPIA, KoreaMed Synapse, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Chinese Wan Fang, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure) from inception to June 2019. We only included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding traditional Chinese Eight Brocade exercise for AS. For statistical analysis, we adopted a quantitative analysis using the RevMan 5.3 statistical software. RESULTS: Five eligible RCTs involving 308 participants were included in the systematic review. The meta-analysis showed superior effects of traditional Chinese Eight Brocade exercise plus NSAIDs therapy on response rate, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), inflammatory indicators, and bone mineral density when compared with NSAIDs therapy alone (p < 0.05). Moreover, when used alone, traditional Chinese Eight Brocade exercise significantly improved fatigue, intensity of morning stiffness domains, and duration of morning stiffness domains of BASDAI scores in comparison to waiting list controls (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Traditional Chinese Eight Brocade exercise could improve physical function and reduce disease activity and inflammatory indicators in AS patients. However, the level of evidence was low because of the high risk of bias. Further rigorously designed RCTs are warranted before it can be recommended.

[Variation of Locations of Baliao Acupoints in 290 Volunteer Subjects Analyzed by Using Computed Tomography-aided Three-dimensional Reconstruction Technique].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the variation of sacral vertebrates and foramen involving the bilateral Shangliao (BL 31), Ciliao (BL 32), Zhongliao (BL 33) and Xialiao (BL 34, Baliao acupoints), so as to provide an anatomic basis of acupoint needling in clinical practice. METHODS: A total of 290 patients[161 men and 129 women, mean age and standard devia-tion, (63.6±13.3)years old and (59.5±13.3) years old, respectively] with intact pelvic structure were recruited in the present study. Computed tomography (CT) scans of intact pelves were taken using a SOMATOM Definition AS 128 and the acquired signals were imported into Siemens Syngo Inspace platform for 3 D reconstruction, followed by identification, classification and analysis of the variation of sacral foramen (Baliao acupoint). RESULTS: The total variation rate of posterior sacral foramen (Baliao acupoint) was 20.34%(59/290). The detected three types of variation were sacral vertebrae number variation (4 sacral vertebraes, 6 sacral vertebraes), fusion variant (lumbosacral fusion, sacrococcygeal fusion, lumbosacral & sacrococcygeal fusion, and lumbosacral fusion & S 4 variation) and mixed type. CONCLUSIONS: Variations of sacral vertebrae including the number and fusion exist in the human body, suggesting an increase of the difficulty of acupoint needling. Since posterior iliac spine does not change generally, it is recommended to be used as a reference point for locating the Baliao acupoint.

[Development of Researches on the Underlying Mechanism of Acupuncture Stimulation of Baliao-points for Improving Outlet Obstruction Constipation].

Outlet obstruction constipation (OOC) is a common clinical problem affecting many people's daily life quality nowadays. Acupuncture therapy is effective in easing OOC to reduce patients' sufferings by stimulation of Baliao-points i. e., bilateral Shangliao (BL 31), Ciliao (BL 32), Zhongliao (BL 33) and Xialiao (BL 34), which has been confirmed repeatedly in clinical practice. In the present paper, the authors reviewed development of studies on the underlying mechanisms of acupuncture stimulation of Baliao-points for OOC from: 1) lowering the sensitivity of intraganglionic laminar nerve endings (rIGLEs) to rectal mechanical distension during defecation, 2) raising the level of circulating cholecystokinin (CCK) to improve the sensory threshold of the rectum, 3) lowering the excitability of γ-motor neurons in the spinal anterior horns controlling the slow contraction of the rectal sphincter muscle, 4) inhibiting the excitability of sympathetic output from the spinal lateral horns, 5) easing the tonic contraction of the pelvic muscles to reduce the release of 5-hydroxy tryptamine (5-HT), histamine, and other related chemical mediators due to local ischemia. Moreover, further study on the mechanism of acupuncture stimulation of Baliao-points underlying improving OOC may help up find more specific and effective therapeutic targets and provide more reliable experimental foundation and theoretical basis.

[From Biological Effects of Local Cutaneous Thermal Stimulation to Moxibustion Therapy].

Moxibustion is one of the major external therapies of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and exerts a definite favorable effect in the treatment of patients with different problems. In the present paper, the authors reviewed 38 papers about somatic thermal intervention therapy published in recent 15 years and analyzed its biological functions from local, distal, and whole body effects. The local effects include 1) improving cutaneous inflammatory illnesses as verruca, herpes simplex, Leishmania infection, cutaneous necrosis, wound disunion, and promoting percutaneous absorption of some medicines, swelling pain; 2) reliving sports fatigue and muscular injury, eliminating inflammation and pain reactions, probably by lowering local reactive oxygen species, superoxide dismutase,catalase, glutathione, etc. levels, and strengthening the flexibility of the knee-joint, and anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments; 3) increasing blood perfusion of the regional arteriola, micrangium to eliminate accumulated subcutaneous blood cells, inflammatory mediators and other metabolic products. The distal effects contain 1) increase of the distal cutaneous blood flow and suppression of the arterial stenosis; and 2) improvement of the visceral functions including the heart (ischemia), liver, gastrointestinal blood flow and smooth muscles, uterus smooth muscular tension, etc. The whole body effects include raising immunoability against cancer, and reducing tumor blood flow to damage the blood vessels in the tumor tissue, etc. In addition, the effects of thermal stimulation are affected by the temperature, stimulating duration and the stimulated positions. These research results may help us to comprehensively understand the effects and mechanisms of moxibustion therapy in the treatment of different clinical disorders.

[Location of disease: acupoint view from the angle of clinic].

Doctor WANG Zhi-zhong in the Southern Song Dynasty proposed the acupoint view of "location of disease", which explained the connotation of acupoints from the angle of clinic. Its meaning included two levels, one level meant pathological change on the body surface, that was the location of acupuncture diagnosis-treatment, and the other one indicated that the body surface which was the reflecting point of pathological change on the distal area or inside the body was the location of acupuncture diagnosis-treatment. The specific connotations of clinical acupoints were: location of pathogenic factors or reflection of pathogenic factors, regularity between acupoints un- der disease and specific organ, morphological differences and positioning variability after acupoints under disease, and acupoints examination, diagnosis and treatment.