Clinical study on auricular acupoint penetration needling along the skin for treatment of a variety of pain syndrome and dysfunction.

This paper is a summary of clinical studies on auricular acupoint penetration needling along the skin for treatment of pain and dysfunction in recent 10 years. Auricular acupoint penetration needling along the skin was used to observe rapid analgesic effects and clinical efficacy on cervical spondylopathy, periarthritis of shoulder, pain in waist and lower extremities, migraine, and other peripheral neuropathic pain, and stroke sequels, soft tissue injury, and so on. Self-control method was used in the studies at the first stage, and clinically randomized control trial methodwas used for systematic comparison with other therapies at the second stage. Results indicated that the auricular acupoint penetration needling along the skin had obviously clinical effects on cervical spondylopathy, periarthritis of shoulder, pain in waist and lower extremities, migraine, soft tissue injuries and stroke sequels, with a better rapid analgesic effect as compared with ear perpendicular needling method.

[Study on the effects of the auricular acupuncture with different manipulations for rapid analgesia on the patients with lumbar disc hernia].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of the point-to-point needling and perpendicular needling of auricular acupuncture for rapid analgesia on the patients with lumbar disc hernia, and find which method is better for this disease. METHODS: Ninety two patients were paired according to the three factors as sex, age and degree of pain, and then randomly divided into the point-to-point needling group and perpendicular needling group. The methods of point-to-point needling through the skin and perpendicular needling towardS the skin were respectively applied at bilateral lumbar areas as auricular acupuncture, and added acupoints following the change of symptom. All patients accorded with the demands of McGill pain questionnaire (MPQ), before treatment, 5 and 30 min after treatment, the accumulated score of pain was recorded respectively for observing the difference of the effects in both groups. RESULTS: After 5 min treatment, the effect of analgesia on the male patients in the point-to-point needling group was better than that of in the perpendicular needling group (P<0.05), but there was no difference on the female patients in both groups (P>0.05). After 30 min treatment, the effect of analgesia in the point-to-point needling group was better than that of the perpendicular needling group (P<0.05). Besides the patients with light degree pain, there was no significant difference between the two groups after 5 min treatment as score of pain (P>0.05), paired t-test showed that the effects of analgesia on the patients with lumbar disc hernia in the point-to-point needling group was better than that of perpendicular needling group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The point-to-point needling method can rapidly relieve patients' lumbar disc hernia of pain, which is better than the perpendicular needling method.

[Effect of otopoint-needle embedment on headache and plasma 5-HT content in migraine patients].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of otopoint-needle embedment on migraine and to explore its underlying mechanism. METHODS: Ninety-two migraine outpatients were equally randomized into acupuncture group and medication group. For patients of the acupuncture group, one sterilized intradermal needle was inserted into E (MA-AT)-point and advanced toward Nie (temple-point, MA-AT), then another inserted into Nie (Temple-point, MA-AT) and advanced toward Zhen (occipus-point, MA-AT), followed by fixing the needles with a piece of adhesive-tape respectively, combined with Wei (stomach-point, MA-IC), Jiaogan (sympathesis-point, MA-AH 7) for migraine patients with nausea and vomiting, and with Yan (eye-point, MA-L 1) for those with phengophobia. Plasma serotonin (5-HT) contents before and after the treatment were detected by fluorescence spectrophotometry. RESULTS: In comparison with the pre-treatment, the synthetic scores of two groups one month and 6 months after the treatment were decreased significantly (P < 0.01). The integrative sores of the acupuncture group one month and 6 months after the treatment were significantly lower than those of the medication group (P < 0.01). The total effective rates of recent efficacy and long-term efficacy of the acupuncture group were 82.61% (38/46) and 83.72% (36/43) respectively, being significantly higher than those [67.39% (31/46) and 57.14% (24/42)] of the medication group. After the treatment, plasma 5-HT content of the acupuncture group was remarkablely higher than that of the medication group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Otopoint-needle implant can effectively relieve headache in migraine patients and upregulate plasma 5-HT level.

Electroacupuncture at Qiuxu (GB 40) for treatment of migraine--a clinical multicentral random controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at Qiuxu (GB 40) for treatment of migraine so as to provide clinical evidence for compilation of the Acupoints' Dictionary of the People's Republic of China. METHODS: 275 migraine patients admitted in 3 hospitals were randomly divided into a treatment group treated by EA at Qiuxu (GB 40), and a control group treated by EA at Tianshu (ST 25). The indexes of the migraine symptoms and the 5-HT level were observed in both the groups before and after treatment. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in VAS score between the two groups of the 3 clinical centers (P<0.01). The therapeutic effects of a 4-week treatment were much better in the treatment group than that of the control group. The 3-month follow-up survey showed that the long-term effects were in favor of the treatment group of the first and third clinical centers, though no significant difference was found in the treatment group of the second clinical center as compared with the control group. The results from the 6-month follow-up survey showed better effects in the treatment group of all the 3 clinical centers. CONCLUSION: EA at Qiuxu (GB 40) may show effect for migraine.

[Comparison of analgesic effects between subcutaneous penetration needling and straight needling of otopoints in the treatment of scapulohumeral periarthritis].

OBJECTIVE: To confirm the better analgesic effect of subcutaneous penetration needling of otopoints for treatment of scapulohumeral periarthritis (SHPA) patients. METHODS: Sixty-six SHPA patients were randomized into penetration-needling group (n = 33) and straight needling group (n = 33) by using pairing principle according to the sex and state of disease. Penetration needling was adopted for patients of penetration-needling group, while straight needling was used for those of straight needling group. Simplified McGill Scale was used to evaluate the patients' pain reactions. The pain integral scores were analyzed by using sequential test and pairing t test. RESULTS: Sequential test showed that the analgesic effect of penetration needling was significantly superior to that of straight needling 30 min after the treatment (P < 0.05). Pairing t test results displayed that penetration needling had a marked analgesic effect 5 min and 30 min after the treatment compared with straight needling (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The rapid analgesic effect of penetration needling is superior to that of straight needling in the treatment of scapulohumeral periarthritis.

[Study on the therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture on migraine and influencing factors].

OBJECTIVE: To compare therapeutic effects of electrical acupuncture (EA) at Qiuxu (GB 40) and Tianshu (ST 25), and to probe the factors of influencing the therapeutic effect. METHODS: Two hundred and seventy-five cases were randomly divided into the test group of 138 cases treated with EA at Qiuxu (GB 40) and the control group of 137 cases treated with EA at Tianshu (ST 25). Their therapeutic effects were observed and the factors influencing the therapeutic effect were analyzed. RESULTS: The transient effective rate was 70.3% in the test group and 58.4% in the control group with a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05), and there were very significant differences between the two groups in the therapeutic effects at treatment of 4 weeks, and following-up 3 and 6 months later (P<0.001), the transient analgesic effect of EA at Qiuxu (GB 40) being better. EA had better transient effect on migraine for the mental workers, or the patient with high pain score at treatment, or more frequent attack. The long-term analgesic effect of EA at Qiuxu (GB 40) was better than Tianshu (ST 25). CONCLUSION: The analgesic effect of EA at Qiuxu (GB 40) is better than Tianshu (ST 25) and the profession and conditions of the patient are the factors influencing the therapeutic effect.

[Comparison of the analgesic effect of acupuncture between otopoint-penetrative needling and otopoint-straight needling for cervical type and nerve-root type cervicospondylopathy].

OBJECTIVE: To confirm the better analgesic effect of otopoint-penetrative needling for cervical type and nerve-root type cervicospondylopathy. METHODS: A total of 98 cervicospondylopathy outpatients (50 cases of cervical type and 48 cases of nerve-root type) were randomly divided into treatment group (otopoint-penetrative needling) and control group (otopoint-straight needling) in the light of paring method of comprehensive factors of sexes, ages and the state of disease. The main oto-points used were bilateral Jingzhui Area (AH 13) in combination with Jian-Jianguanjie-Suogu (Shoulder-Shoulder-joint-Collarbone) Area, etc. The simplified McGill Pain Scaling was used to give the score of patient's pain before the treatment, 5 min and 30 min after the treatment. RESULTS: Results of sequential trial indicated that the analgesic effect of otopoint-penetrative needling was significantly superior to that of otopoint-straight needling 30 min after the treatment (P < 0.05). Findings of matched-pair t test showed that no marked differences were found between two groups in the pain scores before the treatment, while after the treatment, the pain scores of otopoint-penetrative needling group were significantly lower than those of otopoint-straight needling group (P < 0.001, 0.01), meaning that the analgesic effect of otopoint-penetrative needling was significantly better than that of otopoint-straight needling 5 min and 30 min after the treatment in both men and women, in both cervical type and nerve-root type patients, and in both young and older patients. CONCLUSION: The analgesic effect of otopoint-penetrative needling is obviously superior to that of otopoint-straight needling.

[Discussion on the essence of meridian-collateral system].

The meridian-collateral system of traditional Chinese medicine refers to the regulating system composed of the known loose connective tissue, liquid-Qi of tissue, energy substances, nerves, blood vessels, lymph, etc. existing in the fascia space between the skin, muscles and bone and some associated unknown synthetic functions. This hypothesis of meridian-collateral, Qi-passage, and fascia space composed of multiple substances is probably able to unify different viewpoints about that the meridian-collateral system is in fact an integrated substance of nerves, body fluid and energy. In the present paper, the authors introduce their viewpoints about the essence of meridian-collaterals from nerves, humor and energy, and unknown function of the known anatomical structure.

[Clinical observation on point implantation of slowly-releasing medication for treatment of functional ventricular premature].

OBJECTIVE: To probe into a safe and effective method for treatment of functional ventricular premature, and develop a new preparation of Chinese herbs with high science and technique contents. METHODS: Two hundred and thirty-eight cases were randomly divided into a slowly-releasing medication group (n = 118) and a western medicine group (n = 120). The slowly-control needle group were treated with intramuscular injection of slowly-releasing medication new type preparation made by proved recipe of Chinese herbs with replenishing and strengthening pectoral qi, and nourishing yin and tranquillization into Tanzhong (CV 17), Neiguan (PC 6), Xinshu (BL 15), Pishu (BL 20) and Feishu (BL 13) by a trocar to slowly release and control releasing of the medicine so as to maintain lasting stimulation; the western medicine group with oral administration of Rythmol, thrice daily, 150 mg each time. RESULTS: The cured rate and the cured and markedly effective rate for the ventricular premature was 51.7% and 71.2% in the slowly-releasing medication group, which were significantly higher than 28.3% and 50.8% in the western medicine group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The slowly-releasing medication new type preparation has a better therapeutic effect on functional ventricular premature, with high safety.