Moxibustion Treatment Research Articles

Therapeutic observation on acupuncture-moxibustion at different intervals for persistent allergic rhinitis

Objective: To observe the therapeutic effect of acupuncture-moxibustion at different intervals on persistent allergic rhinitis. Methods: A total of 90 patients conforming to the inclusion criteria were randomized into three groups named A, B and C by randomized block method. Patients in all three groups received the same treatment of acupuncture and herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion at the same acupoints, while the treatment frequency was different. Patients in group A received the treatment once a week, group B twice a week and group C three times a week, and all the treatment lasted for 4 weeks. The total nasal symptom score (TNSS), total ocular symptom score (TOSS) and Sino-nasal outcome test-20 (SNOT-20) were evaluated before and after treatment. The self-rating score of symptoms was evaluated during treatment and 2 weeks after treatment. Results: The total effective rate was 80.0% in group A, 93.3% in group B, and 100.0% in group C. The total effective rate in group A was statistically different from that in group B and group C (both P 0.05). After treatment, scores of TNSS, TOSS and SNOT-20 in all three groups dropped significantly, and statistically different from those before treatment (all P 0.05); after 4-week treatment, the score in group A was higher than that in group B and group C, and showed statistical significant (both P 0.05). Conclusion: All three protocols are effective for allergic rhinitis. With the increase of treatment frequency, the therapeutic efficacy with a treatment frequency of twice a week and three times a week is superior to that of once a week. Frequency of three times a week has a better long-term effect than once and twice a week, together with the least fluctuation of symptoms.

Commonality and pattern analysis of acupoint selection in moxibustion treatment of asthma

Objective: To analyze and summarize the commonalities and patterns in acupoint selection for moxibustion treatment of asthma. Methods: Data retrieval was conducted using ‘moxibustion’ and ‘asthma’ as the keywords through China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Academic Journal Full-text Database (Wanfang) and Chongqing VIP Database (CQVIP). Excel 2010 was used to establish the major acupoint database for moxibustion prescriptions in treatment of asthma; data mining methods including association patterns and clustering were adopted to analyze the characteristics and patterns in acupoint selection for moxibustion treatment of asthma. Results: A total of 161 moxibustion prescriptions were recruited. The most commonly used acupoint was Feishu (BL 13), the most commonly used meridian was the Bladder Meridian of Foot Taiyang, and the most commonly treated region was the back. The association rule analysis showed that Feishu (BL 13)-Dazhui (GV 14)-Fengmen (BL 12) had the most significant correlation, and the clustering analysis discovered 5 effective acupoint clusters. Conclusion: In moxibustion treatment of asthma, topical acupoints Feishu (BL 13), Dazhui (GV 14) and Fengmen (BL 12) can be selected, along with the acupoints from the Bladder Meridian of Foot Taiyang and the back.

Internal carotid artery injury secondary to acupuncture revealed using MRI

A case of a lumbar spinal cord injury survivor, complained of gradual onset of left-arm weakness after simultaneous moxibustion and acupuncture treatment in which two moxibustion sticks were placed on his lower legs and eight acupuncture needles were inserted into his face and neck while he was in a sitting position. During the treatment, he had a forceful sneeze that his head leaned forward while his body remained upright. This momentary posture caused his right clavicle to press on the needle inserted at the right side of his neck, consequently, the accidental displacement of the needle dissected a portion of the right internal carotid artery as confirmed using MRI. Hospitalization and antiplatelet therapy were prescribed for his condition; he made a full recovery and was discharged in two days. Three months later, he received a Doppler ultrasound for the internal carotid artery that showed no abnormality. Keywords: Acupuncture; Moxibustion; Adverse effect; Internal carotid artery

Acupuncture and herbal moxibustion for the treatment of \u2018BiQiu\u2019 (allergic rhinitis symptoms) in a Hong Kong Chinese medicine clinic: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundAllergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disease. No evidence is available for the clinical application of acupuncture and moxibustion for the management of AR symptoms in Hong Kong. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture with or without herbal moxibustion on relieving AR symptoms in the Hong Kong population.MethodsA single-centre, randomized, assessor-blinded, controlled trial with three parallel arms (acupuncture alone, acupuncture combined with herbal moxibustion treatment and waitlist) was designed. Groups with acupuncture treatment received treatment 3 times per week for a total of 12 sessions in 4 weeks. Acupuncture combined with herbal moxibustion treatment group received herbal moxibustion once per week for a total of 4 sessions over 4 weeks in addition to acupuncture treatment. Participants in the waitlist group received no treatment. All patients received advice on healthy lifestyle, diet, and exercise.ResultsNinety-six subjects were recruited and allocated randomly (1:1:1) into three study groups. Compared to the waitlist group, both treatment groups demonstrated statistically significant decreases in TNSS and RQLQ at the end of treatment as well as after follow-up period (all P < 0.01). However, there was no statistically differences between these two treatment groups. There was no difference in the change of total IgE levels among study groups before or after the treatment. Only one patient reported adverse effects with herbal moxibustion treatment, and no adverse effects were found in others.ConclusionsThis study supports that acupuncture could help relieve AR symptoms, but no evidence on additional treatment effect of herbal moxibustion was found.Trial registration ChiCTR-INR-16010047 registered on November 25, 2016.

The efficacy and safety of moxibustion for primary dysmenorrhea: A systematic review protocol.

Background:Primary dysmenorrhea (PDM) is one of the most prevalent gynecological diseases in women of childbearing age. The major medications treating PDM usually make sense and side effects, while moxibustion is known as a safe and effective treatment for PDM. This review aims to systematically evaluate the effect and safety of moxibustion for treating PDM.Methods:We will search all randomized controlled trials for moxibustion therapy on PDM, electronically and manually, regardless of publication status, till October 31, 2019. Online databases include the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; PubMed; EMBASE; China National Knowledge Infrastructure; Chinese Biomedical Literature Database; Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP database); and Wan-Fang Database. Two reviewers will search these databases, select data and measure the quality of studies independently. The methodological quality will be assessed by the Cochrane Reviewer's Handbook 6.0. The primary outcomes include clinical efficacy and visual analog scale, and the secondary outcomes include adverse events and quality of life. Four reviewers will independently extract the data and assess the qualities of the studies. Statistical analysis will be conducted with R package for each outcome. Study selection, data extraction, and assessment of risk of bias will be performed independently by 2 reviewers.Results:This study will provide a comprehensive review of the available evidence for the treatment of moxibustion with PDM.Conclusion:The conclusion of our study will provide updated evidence to judge whether moxibustion is an effective and safe intervention for patients with PDM.PROSPERO registration number:CRD42019129993

Moxibustion for treating patients with hyperlipidemia: A systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

Background:Hyperlipidemia has been a root cause of atherosclerosis, which leads to a high risk to serious cardio-cerebrovascular disease. Many trials have reported that moxibustion therapy is effective in lowering blood lipid levels when treating hyperlipidemia. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the effectiveness and safety of moxibustion therapy for hyperlipidemia.Methods:Two reviewers will electronically search the following databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); PubMed; EMBASE; China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI); Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM); Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP database); and Wan-Fang Database from the inception, without restriction of publication status and languages. Additional searching including researches in progress, the reference lists and the citation lists of identified publications. Study selection, data extraction, and assessment of study quality will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. Changes of blood lipid levels from baseline to the end of the treatment, including low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level, total cholesterol (TC) level, triglycerides (TG) level and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level will be assessed as the primary outcomes. Quality of life, long-term effect and safety will be evaluated as secondary outcomes. If it is appropriate for a meta-analysis, RevMan 5.3 statistical software will be used; otherwise, a descriptive analysis will be conducted. Data will be synthesized by either the fixed-effects or random-effects model according to a heterogeneity test. The results will be presented as risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dichotomous data and weight mean difference (WMD) or standard mean difference (SMD) 95% CIs for continuous data.Results:This study will provide a comprehensive review of the available evidence for the treatment of moxibustion with hyperlipidemia.Conclusions:The conclusions of our study will provide an evidence to judge whether moxibustion is an effective and safe intervention for patients with hyperlipidemia.Ethics and dissemination:This systematic review will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal or presented at relevant conferences. It is not necessary for a formal ethical approval because the data are not individualized.Trial registration number:PROSPERO CRD42019130545.

Case Study of Korean Medicine Treatment of Diffuse Esophageal Spasm

Objective This case study reports on the result of Korean medicine treatment of diffuse esophageal spasm. Methods A 46-year-old female Korean patient with diffuse esophageal spasm received electroacupuncture, herbal medicine, and moxibustion treatment for 2 weeks in hospital. Results Decreases in the visual analog scale (VAS) (from 8.7 to 7.0), numeric rating scale (NRS) (from 7.0 to 5.5), gastrointestinal symptom rating scale (GSRS) (from 9 to 6), and gastroesophageal reflux disease-health related quality of life questionnaire (GERD-HRQL) (from 46 to 38) scores were observed after the treatment. Conclusion Evaluation of Korean medicine treatment is worthwhile for rare diseases like diffuse esophageal spasm. Keywords: diffuse esophageal spasm, herbal medicine, electroacupuncture, Korean medical treatment

Research progress on the mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion in treatment of endometriosis

The clinical and experimental researches of acupuncture and moxibustion on endometriosis during past 15 years were collected. The research progress underling the mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion on endometriosis was summarized. By taken Chinese characters, i.e. "acupuncture-moxibustion" and "endometriosis" as well as the English words, i.e. "acupuncture therapy" and "endometriosis" as the searching words, the relevant articles were retrieved from Pubmed, Embase, Chinese China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chongqing VIP and the China Biology Medicine Disc etc. The retrieval time was from January 2003 to October 2018. As a result, 41 articles of clinical studies and 18 articles of animal experiments were screened. Of them, 20 articles (including 18 articles of animal experiments and 2 articles of clinical trial) are related to the mechanism underling acupuncture and moxibustion on endometriosis. In term of the impacts on growth factors, enzymes and enzyme inhibitors, the mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion was explored on the analgesia for endometriosis, the inhibition of ectopic tissue angiogenesis and invasive adhesion, as well as the regulation of immune function and endocrine. Moreover, the limitation and prospect on the current researches were proposed so as to provide the more reliable evidence for clinical treatment of endometriosis with acupuncture and moxibustion.

Dynamic observation and analysis of metabolic response to moxibustion stimulation on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal lesions (GML) rats

BackgroundGastric mucosal lesion (GML) is the initiating pathological process in many refractory gastric diseases. And moxibustion is an increasingly popular alternative therapy that prevents and treats diseases. However, there are few published reports about developing pathology of GML and therapeutic mechanism of moxibustion treatment on GML. In this study, we investigated pathology of GML and therapeutic mechanism of moxibustion treatment on GML.MethodsThe male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were induced by intragastric administration of 75% ethanol after fasting for 24 h and treated by moxibustion at Zusanli (ST36) and Liangmen (ST21) for 1 day, 4 days or 7 days. Then we applied 1H NMR-based metabolomics to dynamic analysis of metabolic profiles in biological samples (stomach, cerebral cortex and medulla). And the conventional histopathological examinations as well as metabolic pathways assays were also performed.ResultsMoxibustion intervention showed a beneficial effect on GML by modulating comprehensive metabolic alterations caused by GML, including energy metabolism, membrane metabolism, cellular active and neurotransmitters function.ConclusionsMoxibustion can effectively treat gastric mucosal damage and effectively regulate the concentration of some related differential metabolites to maintain the stability of the metabolic pathway.

Design and application of spectacle frame for eye moxibustion

The new style spectacle frame for eye moxibustion is designed, which is characterized by adjustable direction, constant temperature and smoke absorption. Combined with mechanical structure design and physical and chemical technology, a new style of moxibustion spectacle frame is designed by means of spring mechanism, damping bearing, filter cotton, etc. The moxibustion spectacle frame includes the right and left eye frames, spectacle legs, nose mask, eye mask, slide rod, screw rod, spring structure, damping bearing, support rod and pin. The eye mask can prevent from the risks induced by the burning moxa stick. A ventilate hole is designed in the lower part of the nose mask to keep breathing unobstructed. In the upper end of the ventilate hole, a filter cotton is placed to prevent from moxa smoke penetrating to the nasal cavity. The spring structure can keep relatively the fixed distance between the combustion area and the acupoints. Such device ensures the safety of eye moxibustion, reduces the complexity of operation and is suitable for moxibustion treatment for all kinds of eye diseases.

Moxibustion Reduces Inflammatory Response in the Hippocampus of a Chronic Exercise-Induced Fatigue Rat.

Accumulating data indicates that brain inflammation plays an important role in the pathophysiology of chronic exercise-induced fatigue. Moxibustion in traditional Chinese medicine has been found to alleviate exercise-induced fatigue. However, it remains unclear whether the effect of moxibustion is related to its anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, rats were exposed to 3-week exhaustive swimming to induce chronic exercise-induced fatigue. The body weight, exhaustive swimming time, tail suspension test and open-field test were observed. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to determine the mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β [IL-1β], interleukin-6 [IL-6], and tumor necrosis factor-α[TNF-α]), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α concentrations. Chronic exhaustive exercise significantly reduced the body weight and exhaustive swimming time, and increased tail suspension immobility time, which were reversed by moxibustion treatment. Compared with control rats, the mRNA and protein expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in the hippocampus was significantly increased in exhaustive swimming trained rats. Moxibustion significantly decreased the level of IL-6 in the hippocampus, but not affected IL-1β and TNF-α level significantly. Our results suggested that a potential inflammatory damage in the brain may be involved during chronic exhaustive exercise-induced fatigue. Moxibustion could attenuate the inflammatory impairment in exercise-induced fatigue, which might be mediated by inhibition of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 levels in the brain region.

Design of moxibustion device for experimental rabbits

An experimental device is designed to solve the problem of fixing rabbits and providing moxibustion treatment at the same time. The device includes a rabbit fixing box and a moxibustion shelf. The rabbit fixing box and the moxibustion shelf are detachable, and could be used for moxibustion at the chest-back and abdomen of rabbits. A moxibustion device is placed on the moxibustion shelf. The moxibustion device can be moved forward, backward, leftward, rightward, upward and downward on the moxibustion shelf. It meets the requirements of moxibustion at multiple meridians or acupoints on the chest-back and abdomen at the same time. The moxibustion device is equipped with moxa cone or stick, which not only ensures the full burning of moxa, but also prevents the falling of moxa from hurting rabbits. In conclusion, the device has novel and unique structure, is safe and reliable, and easy to operate. It is an innovation in the experimental device of moxibustion, which could promote the animal experiment of moxibustion.

Effects of moxibustion on the structure and function of blood brain barrier in Alzheimer's disease model rats

To investigate the effects of moxibustion on the structure and function of blood-brain barrier in Alzheimer's disease (AD) model rats. Forty-eight SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: normal control group, sham operation group, model group, moxibustion group. Model group and moxibustion group rats were injected with aggregated Aβ25-35 by bilateral hippocampus. In the rat model, the sham-operated group was injected with the same amount of normal saline in the bilateral hippocampus, and the normal group was not treated. After successful modeling, the moxibustion treatment was given at 2～3 cm above the Baihui, Shenshu and Yintang points of the moxibustion group rats, each time for 10 min, once a day, continuous treatment for 21 d. The Morris water maze test was used to evaluate the learning and memory ability of rats in each group. The Evans blue method was used to detect the permeability of blood-brain barrier. The ultrastructure of blood-brain barrier was observed under electron microscope. The matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) positive cells in hippocampus were detected by immunohistochemistry. Compared with the sham operation group, the escape latency was significantly increased (P＜0.01), and the space exploration time was decreased (P＜0.01), the learning and memory function in model group was impaired seriously, the Evans blue content in the brain was increased significantly (P＜0.01), the perivascular edema became larger, and the blood-brain barrier structure function was impaired. At the same time, the positive expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in hippocampus were increased significantly (P＜0.01). Compared with model group, the learning and memory ability in moxibustion group rats was enhanced (P＜ 0.05), the content of Evans blue in the brain was decreased (P＜0.05), the degree of perivascular edema was reduced, and the damage of blood-brain barrier was improved. Positive expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in hippocampus were decreased (P＜0.05 or P＜ 0.01). Moxibustion can decrease the expressions of MMP-2 and MMP-9, and reduce the damage of the structure and function of blood-brain barrier, thereby improving the learning and memory ability of AD model rats, and exerting therapeutic effects.

Analysis of Traditional Medical Disputes: Data from the Korean Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine Society (2013-2017)

Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze the medical dispute cases in Acupuncture and Moxibustion treatment, and present the guidelines of treatment to prevent medical disputes. Methods: Korean Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine Society medical dispute cases from January 2013 to September 2018 were collected and analyzed. Results: There were 80 cases, which included acupuncture treatment (54 cases), cupping treatment (7 cases), local infection / inflammation (17 cases), and neurological symptoms (13 cases). Analysis of the correlation between types of medical accidents and the treatment methods, showed that local infection and inflammation (12 cases) were the most reported in acupuncture treatment. Conclusion: This study was performed to analyze the current status of medical disputes in the field of acupuncture and moxibustion, and provide basic data for guidelines to prevent them. Further study preparing for clinical guidelines to prevent medical disputes in specific departments are warranted in the future. ©2019 Korean Acupuncture & Moxibustion Medicine Society. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Analysis of characteristics of acupuncture diagnosis and treatment based on literature

Objective To explore the characteristics of diagnosis and treatment of acupuncture and moxibustion for heel pain. Methods We searched the literatures related to heel pain treated by acupuncture and moxibustion in CNKI, WFPD, VIP, CBM, PubMed and Embase, then summarized the intervene measures related to acupuncture and moxibustion, clinical characteristics of syndrome differentiation and acupuncture points selection method, frequency, treatment course, treatment effect, follow-up outcomes and safety. Results A total of 47 articles are included in the acupuncture treatment of heel pain commonly used measures like small needling knife, acupuncture, acupoint injection, electro-acupuncture, fire needling, warm needling and moxibustion. The percentage of article involved in treating heel pain by small needling knife was 55.32% (26/47) and 21.28% (10/47) by acupuncture. The percentage of articles involved in acupuncture points selection method by differentiation of disease was 93.62% (44/47). The main acupuncture points in the 47 articles was ashi acpoint (68.09%, 32/47). The therapy frequency and treatment courses varied from the differences of the acupuncture and moxibustion methods. For small needling knife, the percentage of treating frequency of one time was 36.17% (17/47) and evaluating the curative effect after one treatment was 40.43% (19/47). For acupuncture, the percentage of treating frequency of once a day was 17.02% (8/47) and 23.40% (11/47). The effective rate showed a lot of variation from 69.56%-100% vary by intervene measures. The follow-up rate was not high, only 27.66% (13/47). There was only one literature referring to the adverse reaction. Conclusions The literatures review showed that the small needling knife was the most frequent method, followed by acupuncture. Acupuncture points selection by disease differentiation is the common method. The main acupuncture points applied in heel pain is ashi acupoint. Evaluating the effect after one treatment was common used for small needling knife. Once a day and ten times a therapy course were the common treatment frequency and treatment course for the remaining intervene measures. Acupuncture and moxibustion could show immediate and probable long-term positive effect for heel pain without no severe adverse reactions. Key words: Heel pain; Acupuncture and moxibustion; Diagnosis and treatment; Medicine pharmacologic literature (TCM); Literature based discovery

Therapeutic Duration and Extent Affect the Effect of Moxibustion on Depression-Like Behaviour in Rats via Regulating the Brain Tryptophan Transport and Metabolism.

Moxibustion has been widely accepted as an alternative therapy for major depressive disease (MDD). However, the efficacy of moxibustion treatment on MDD is highly variable because of its irregular operation. This study was designed to investigate how therapeutic duration and extent influence the anti-depression effect of moxibustion and the underlying mechanism involved. Rats with lipopolysaccharide-induced depression-like behavior were treated by moxibustion treatment. The anti-depression effect was determined by forced swimming test and open field test. Tryptophan (Trp) transport and its metabolism to serotonin (5-HT) and kynurenine (Kyn) were evaluated to explore the anti-depression mechanism. The results showed that moxibustion treatment could alleviate the depression-like behavior in rats. Trp transport and 5-HT generation were significantly increased, and the Trp-Kyn pathway was moderately inhibited by moxibustion. Prolonged therapy could be beneficial to the anti-depression effect by promoting the brain uptake of Trp and shifting the Trp metabolism to 5-HT. An enhanced therapeutic extent could increase 5-HT generation. In conclusion, this study determined that the anti-depression effect of moxibustion involves improved Trp transport and metabolism. The therapeutic duration benefits antidepressant effects, but the complex influence of the therapeutic extent on moxibustion efficacy requires further studies.

Regularities of application of acupoints to relieving clinical indications of Sanguan (cun, guan and chi, three places at the wrist where the pulse is usually taken) in classical book Mai Jing (Pulse Classic)

According to indications of Sanguan (cun, guan and chi, three places at the wrist where the pulse is usually taken) described in book Mai Jing (Pulse Classic), the selection of acupoints is based on the location of problems and pulse conditions. WANG Shu-he (201-280, a well-known physician of the Wei and Jin dynasties) chose the operation method and stimulating intensity according to the nature of clinical disorders, that is, performing acupuncture or moxibusion in accordance with pulse conditions, or performing reinforcing or reducing needling manipulations based on pulse conditions. Clinical indications of Sanguan described in Mai Jing originate from Suwen: Sanbu Jiuhou Lun (Plain Questions: Discussion on Three Portions and Nine Pulse-takings) and are also influenced by Shanghan Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases) and Jingui Yao Lue (Synopsis of Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber). It inherits ZHANG Zhong-jing's clinical thinking of "pulse-syndrome-treatment" and supplements the content of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment, and also influenced the contents of indications of acupoints in book Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing (A-B Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion) and Qian Jin Yao Fang (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold). For this reason, it is necessary to unscramble the Mai Jing from clinical perspective of acupuncture and moxibustion, and to explore the thinking and practice mode of clinical diagnosis and treatment of clinical conditions by acupuncture and moxibustion.

The effectiveness of moxibustion for cancer-related fatigue: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

IntroductionCancer-related fatigue is a common and debilitating symptom in cancer patients. Moxibustion is frequently used in cancer and its complications. However, evidence that moxibustion can improve cancer-related fatigue is insufficient. We systematically reviewed existing clinical randomized controlled trials to investigate whether moxibustion can improve cancer-related fatigue. MethodsWe used three methods to search for relevant studies. Thirteen electronic databases were searched. Adult patients diagnosed with cancer were included in our study. Intervention group patients received moxibustion only or a combination of moxibustion with other co-interventions. Patients in the control group used no moxibustion intervention. The primary outcome was fatigue. RevMan version 5.3 was used to analyze all data. This study was reported based on the PRISMA statement. ResultsA total of 22 studies with 1628 cancer patients were included in this review. The included studies had methodological limitations of varying degrees. The results of the meta-analysis indicate that moxibustion can significantly reduce fatigue regardless of the type—sensory fatigue, behavioral fatigue, affective meaning fatigue, cognitive fatigue, physical fatigue, or total score of fatigue. ConclusionsThe study findings suggest that moxibustion can improve cancer-related fatigue and most aspects of quality of life (except for economic difficulty and insomnia). Moxibustion is relatively safe as treatment for cancer patients. Owing to the small number, short intervention duration and methodological drawbacks of the included studies, more rigorously designed large randomized controlled trials with satisfactory intervention durations and follow-up periods are required to provide more reliable evidence.

Effects of Moxibustion and Moxa Smoke on Behavior Changes and Energy Metabolism in APP/PS1 Mice.

Objective To investigate the antiaging effects of moxibustion and moxa smoke on APP/PS1 mice and to illustrate the mechanism of moxibustion improving Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods 36 male APP/PS1 mice were randomly assigned into three groups (n = 12), including a model control group, a moxibustion group, and a moxa smoke group. In addition, 12 C57BL/6 normal mice served as a normal (negative) control group. Mice in the moxibustion group received moxibustion intervention using Guanyuan (RN4) acupoint. Mice in the moxa smoke group received moxa smoke exposure with the same frequency as the moxibustion group. Behavioral tests were implemented in the 9th week, 3 days after the completion of the intervention. Tricarboxylic acid cycle and fatty acid metabolomics assessments of the mice were determined after behavioral tests. Results In this study, relative to normal mice, we found that AD mice showed altered tricarboxylic and fatty acid metabolism and showed behavioral changes consistent with the onset of AD. However, both the moxibustion and moxa smoke interventions were able to mitigate these effects to some degree in AD mice. Conclusions The data suggest that tricarboxylic acid cycle and unsaturated fatty acid metabolomics changes may be a target of AD, and the beneficial effects of moxibustion on cognitive behaviors may be mediated by the energy metabolism system.

Efficacy of thunder-fire moxibustion combined with external applicaion of Shuangbai powder for mild and moderate knee osteoarthritis

To compare the therapeutic effect between thunder-fire moxibustion combined with external applicaion of Shuangbai powder and thunder-fire moxibustion alone for mild and moderate knee osteoarthritis. A total of 70 patients with mild and moderate knee osteoarthritis were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 35 cases in each group. In the observation group, thunder-fire moxibustion combined with external applicaion of Shuangbai powder were applied, Thunder-fire moxibustion was applied at Xuehai (SP 10), Liangqiu (ST 34), Neixiyan (EX-LE 4), Yanglingquan (GB 34) and ashi point, external applicaion of Shuangbai powder was given to the affected knee after the treatment of thunder-fire moxibustion. Simple thunder-fire moxibustion was given in the control group. All patients in the two groups were treated once a day, 7 days as one course and the consecutive 4 courses were required, with an interval of 1 day between courses. Before and after treatment, the visual analogue scale (VAS) score and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score were used to assessed knee pain, stiffness and physical function in the two groups. In addition, the efficacy was evaluated. Compared before treatment, the VAS scores, total scores of WOMAC, pain scores, stiffness scores and physical function scores were reduced after treatment in the two groups (P<0.01), and the scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.01, P<0.05). The total effective rate was 97.0% (32/33) in the observation group, which was superior to 91.2% (31/34) in the control group (P<0.05). Thunder-fire moxibustion combined with external applicaion of Shuangbai powder are superior to simple thunder-fire moxibustion in improving the symptoms and delaying the development of the disease for mild and moderate knee osteoarthritis.