Effects of warming needle moxibustion in patients with lower limbs arteriosclerosis obliterans of blood stasis type

Abstract

Objective To explore the clinical effects of warming needle moxibustion on lower limbs arteriosclerosis obliterans of blood stasis type. Methods From September 2015 to September 2017, we selected 60 patients from the First Affiliated Hospital and the Second Affiliated Hospital, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine. All of the patients were divided into control group and intervention group with the randomized control method, 30 cases in each group. Patients of control group were treated with Huo Xue Tong Mai Yin decoction. Patients of intervention group accepted warming needle moxibustion and Huo Xue Tong Mai Yin decoction. We compared the clinical effects, diameter and blood flow parameters of lower extremity artery, the expression of nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin (ET) between two groups before and after treatment. Results Clinlcal symptoms of patients between two groups all relieved in different degrees. For example, pain eased; the temperature of lower limb got warm again; the dull-red and pale colour weakened; the number of walk and qi-blood increased; the improvements of the symptoms in intervention group were better than those in control group with significant differences (P<0.05) . The improvements of diameter and blood flow parameters of lower extremity artery in intervention group were significantly better than those in control group (P<0.05) . After treatment, the expression of NO and ET of intervention group was (39.30±3.10) ng/L and (28.14±3.10) μmol/L respectively better than those of control group with significant differences (t=3.277, 2.716; P<0.05) . Conclusions Warming needle moxibustion has a remarkable clinical effect on lower limbs arteriosclerosis obliterans of blood stasis type. It is worth to be generalized. Key words: Nitric oxide; Arteriosclerosis obliterans of lower limbs; Blood stasis type; Warming needle moxibustion; Vascular endothelial cells