Efficacy of Jiao's scalp acupuncture in combination with Xiangshao granules on chronic tension-type headache with concomitant nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in climacteric women.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of Jiao's scalp acupuncture in combination with Xiangshao granules on chronic tension-type headache (CTTH) with concomitant nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in climacteric women. METHODS: In this study, we enrolled 150 climacteric women with CTTH and concomitant NAFLD. The participants were divided into three groups based on the random number table: medication group, acupuncture group, and acupuncture-medication group. Treatment continued for 2 months. The efficacy of CTTH was assessed based on the visual analog scale/score (VAS). The influence on NAFLD was assessed based on body mass index (BMI), controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), and the ratio of hepatic-splenic computed tomography (CT) value. The Participant Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score was compared among the three groups. RESULTS: A total of 123 participants completed the trial, including 37 participants in the medication group, 41 participants in the acupuncture group, and 45 participants in the acupuncture-medication group. Results are summarized hereinafter. (1) The total clinical efficiency rates of the medication group, acupuncture group, and acupuncture-medication group were 89.19% (33 of 37), 90.24% (37 of 41), and 95.65% (44 of 46), respectively. (2) Except for the BMI of the medication group ( P = 0.063), a significant difference in VAS, BMI, CAP, the ratio of hepatic-splenic CT value, and PHQ-9 score was found in the three groups ( P < 0.01). (3) There was a significant difference in VAS, BMI, CAP, and PHQ-9 among the three groups ( P < 0.01), with those in the acupuncture-medication group being superior. No difference in the ratio of hepatic-splenic CT value was found ( P = 0.440). (4) The efficacy differed significantly among the three groups ( χ2 = 8.130, P = 0.017), and it was significantly superior in the acupuncture-medication group ( P = 0.008, P = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Jiao's scalp acupuncture, in combination with Xiangshao granules, was superior in treating CTTH in climacteric women compared with either acupuncture or medication. Jiao's scalp acupuncture, in combination with Xiangshao granules, was superior in subsiding the negative moods in participants with CTTH and concomitant NAFLD.

The efficacy of acupuncture combined with Bailemian capsule in the treatment of cervical spondylosis accompanied by headache, anxiety, and depression.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of using acupuncture combined with Bailemian capsule to treat cervical spondylosis by observing the improvement in the degree of headache, anxiety, and depression suffered by patients. METHODS: A total of 100 patients with cervical spondylosis of the cervical type were equally divided into a combination group and a control group using the random number table method. The patients in the combination group were treated with acupuncture combined with the oral administration of Bailemian capsule, while those in the control group were only treated with acupuncture. Patient self-assessment was conducted, comprising the visual analogue scale, the self-assessment scale for anxiety, and the self-assessment scale for depression. Before treatment and on the14th and 28th days of treatment, the therapeutic effects of the two treatment modalities on the cervical spondylosis and accompanying headache, anxiety, and depression were analyzed using the Hamilton anxiety scale, the Hamilton depression scale, the Pittsburgh sleep quality inventory, and the Neck Disability Index (%). RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences between the two groups in all seven indicators at the different treatment time points (p < 0.01). The seven indicators were significantly reduced in both groups on the 14th and 28th days of treatment compared with before the treatment. Moreover, except for the Neck Disability Index results at 14 days, which did not differ between the groups (p = 0.37), all the other indicators were significantly lower in the combination group than in the control group on the 14th and 28th days of treatment (p < 0.01), and at the end of the treatment, the therapeutic effect was significantly better in the combination group than in the control group (p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: Both acupuncture combined with Bailemian Capsule and acupuncture alone were effective in the treatment of cervical spondylosis, but the combination therapy was better than the acupuncture alone in improving the accompanying negative symptoms of headache, anxiety, and depression.