1 Data There are totally 200 patients with 92 male and 108 female. Oldest patient is 73 years old and youngest 6, 51 patients below 20 years old, 75 from 21 to 50 and 74 above 51. Duration of asthma: 66 patients below 5 years, 59 from 6 to 10, 31 from 11 to 20 and 44 above 21.
2 Treatment method A: Point selection: Shousanli (LI10). B: Acupuncture technique: needling only one side every time, once a day or once during attack of asthma, alternatively performing treatment on both sides. Oblique inserting to palm center with 0.5 cun deep. 20 to 30 minutes needle retaining after qi arriving, repeating needle manipulation of rotation every 5 minutes during retaining. 10 times of treatment are considered as one course or needling when asthma happens.
3 Observation of effect: Most patients felt that fullness on the chest was relieved, breathing was gradually free and asthma was improved. Effect time depends on the patients who took first acupuncture treatment and asthma that was obviously relieved. 2 minutes - 78 patients 3 to 5 minutes -107 patients; 6 to 10 minutes -12 patients; Above 10 minutes and symptoms were not relieved -3 patients. So effective rate is 98.5%
4 Effect analysis1) Effect standard: A: cured- obvious improvement comes after acupuncture treatment, then symptoms are gradually relieved until patient stops intake of drug for stopping asthma, attack of asthma is basically stopped more than 2 years after one to three courses, asthmatic voice in the lung organ is disappeared, health is improved and patient can take general physical labor. B: obvious effective- improvement comes after acupuncture treatment, then symptoms are gradually relieved after one to three courses, although asthma may intermittently and slightly happens, it is unnecessary for patient to depend on drug for stopping asthma because acupuncture can treat asthma; so dosage of drug for stopping asthma is obviously decreased. C: improved -improvement comes after acupuncture treatment but asthma still happens same with before, in general, acupuncture can treat asthma when asthma happens. D: no effect - symptoms have no obvious improvement after acupuncture treatment. 2) Effect analysis: Among 200 patients: Cured - 37 patients, 18.5%; Obvious effective - 92 patients, 46%; Improved - 68 patients, 34%; No effect - 3 patients, 1.5%; So total effective rate is 98.5%; Distal effect ( cured + obvious effective ) - 129 patients, 64.5%.
5 Discussion We may not attach importance to treatment of asthma given by needling in LI10 in the clinic. Theoretically LI10 is Ying-spring point of lung meridian of hand-taiyin, it can indicate chest and lung diseases, but there are different opinions in different books, some books do not mention that LI10 can indicate asthma, although most books say that LI10 can treat lung diseases, there is only one book that says functions of LI10 to stop asthma, benefit throat, tonify spleen and eliminate food retention. Meanwhile, there are different opinions on needling depth of LI10, mostly 0.3 to 0.5 cun deep, there is only one book that highly mentions oblique inserting to palm center with 0.5 cun deep. So in our hospital, obvious effect we got depends on oblique inserting to palm center, its mechanism needs further research. This topic tells that obvious treatment effect of asthma is caused by oblique inserting needle into LI10 with direction to palm center. This method is easy to use and has no side effect ( drug for stopping asthma has side effect to disturb cardio-vascular system, becomes drug indulgence or resistance ). This method is quick to stop asthma and can become good way to relieve asthma. There are different degrees of distal effects for young people with short duration of asthma except simple allergic type.
Key Words: bronchial asthma, needling LI10
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