Combination Of Chinese Herbal Medicine Research Articles

The Effectiveness of Combined Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture in the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis

Patients with atopic dermatitis increasingly use complementary medicine. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the combination of Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. Twenty (20) patients between the ages of 13 and 48 who had mild-to-severe atopic dermatitis were given a combined treatment of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine and were followed prospectively. The patients received acupuncture treatment twice a week and the Chinese herbal formula 3 times daily for a total of 12 weeks. Assessments were performed before treatment, and at weeks 3, 6, 9, and 12 of treatment. The primary outcomes were defined as the changes in the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and patient assessment of itch measured on a visual analogue scale (VAS). After 12 weeks of treatment, an improvement in EASI was noted in 100% of patients, when compared with the baseline. The mean EASI fell from 4.99 to 1.81; the median percentage of decrease was 63.5%. Moreover, 78.8% of patients experienced a reduction in DLQI and VAS, as compared with the baseline. The mean DLQI decreased from 12.5 to 7.6 at the end of treatment, with 39.1% improvement. Mean VAS decreased from 6.8 to 3.7, with 44.7% improvement. No adverse effects were observed. The results of this study suggest that the combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine have a beneficial effect on patients with atopic dermatitis and may offer better results than Chinese herbal medicine alone.

Clinical study on endometrial ovarian cyst treated by combined laparoscopy and chinese herbal medicine

To investigate a new method of integrated laparoscopy with Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in treating endometrial ovarian cyst. One hundred and fifty-two patients with endometrial ovarian cyst were randomly treated with three therapies: Integrated laparoscopy with CHM (combination group), CHM (TCM group) and Danazol (WM group). To compare the clinical efficacy and side-effects of the three groups and to elucidate the therapeutic mechanism by detecting the serum CA125 reproductive endocrine hormone, plasma PGF1 alpha, PGE2 etc. The shrinking rate and disappearance rate of the cysts, and markedly effective rate of combination group were obviously higher than those of TCM group and WM group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The pregnancy rate of combination group was also higher than that of WM group (P < 0.05). Few side-effects were the most prominent advantage for combination group and TCM group. After treatment, the plasma PGF1 alpha lowered remarkably, serum p.o. increased and CA125 reduced obviously (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The integrated laparoscopy and CHM combination therapy is a new method in treating endometrial ovarian cyst with significant efficacy, minimal adverse effect and maximal preservation of reproductive function.