| Objective: The research is aimed at identifying a better acupuncture treatment for autism through the analysis of a collection of clinical journal articles on autism.Both the short and long-term effects of the acupuncture with auricular seed pressing therapy treatment on children suffering from autism are subsequently monitored.Methodology: This thesis comprises two parts: journal research and clinical research.(1)Journal research: keywords(autism,autistic,child autism,children autism,Chinese medicine and acupuncture)were used to search the digital archives of China Academic Journals Full-text Database,China Science and Technology Journal Database,Wanfang Database,Access Science,MEDLINE(OVID),Pro Quest 5000(Health & Medical Collection),Pub Med and Sci Finder Web for related papers published between 2000 and 2016.The Chinese and western medical understandings of the causes,symptoms and treatments of child autism are compared and summarized.Various acupuncture treatment plans are analyzed.(2)Clinical research: 60 autistic children treated at Hong Kong private Chinese medical clinics-namely Positive Chinese Medicine clinic and Yan Kin Tong-from May 2015 to June 2017 were randomized separating into the Treatment Group and Control Group,with 30 patients in each group.In the Treatment Group,the treatment was made up of 3 parts.First,each patient received head acupuncture including sishenzhen,both-side niesanzhen,naosanzhen and zhishenzhen with the needles being kept in position for 60 minutes.Second,filiform needle was used to prick quickly trunk-part acupoints on the Du meridian from the lower to the upper back for one time.Third,cowherb seed plasters were applied,on one ear only,to the auricular acupoints for liver,kidney,heart,brain and,in relation to the symptoms,others such as sympathy, shenmen or mouth,tongue or subcortex,and brainstem.The treatment was applied twice a week for eight weeks to constitute a treatment course.Patients were treated with three consecutive courses lasting a total of 24 weeks.It was the first time that the head-part formula of jiansanzhen,trunk-part acupoints on the Du meridian on the back and auricular seed pressing therapy were used together as a combined acupuncture treatment regiment for autism.In the Control Group,treatment consisted of two parts.First,every patient received head acupuncture including sishenzhen,both-side niesanzhen,naosanzhen and zhishenzhen with the needles being kept in position for 60 minutes.Second,filiform needle was used to prick quickly trunk-part acupoints on the Du meridian from the lower to upper back for one time.The treatment was applied twice a week for eight weeks to constitute a treatment course.Patients were treated with three consecutive courses lasting a total of 24 weeks.The Autism Behavior Checklist(ABC)and Childhood Autism Rating Scale(CARS)were filled before the start of treatment,at the end of each 8-week course and eight weeks after the last course of treatment was completed.The ABC and CARS were being filled to assess the effects of the respective treatments on the autistic children.This is the first research monitoring the scores before and at different stages of the treatment so as to evaluate the long-term effect of the combined use of acupuncture and auricular seed pressing therapy on child autism.Results:(1)Journal research: 139 autism-related journal articles were found in the digital archives.After repeated articles were filtered,a total of 42 pieces were found to be related to western medicine cum autism,59 related to Chinese medicine cum autism,52 related to Chinese medical diagnosis of autism,49 related to Chinese medical treatment of autism and 43 related to autism treatment using acupuncture.(2)Clinical research: only 30 patients in each group have completed all treatments and returned the evaluation forms.The results were analyzed by Stata/SE11.At the end of the third course(thus,24 weeks after treatment began),the evaluation scores of the Treatment Group were conspicuously lower than those before treatment.[ABC scores(95.57±12.05),(63.22±9.60)t =11.50,P= 0.00;CARS scores(42.79±4.83),(31.58±2.54)t =11.25,P= 0.00];the evaluation scores of the Control Group were also lower than those before treatment.[ABC scores(95.04±11.87),(69.87±8.09)t =9.60,P= 0.00;CARS scores(42.55±4.71),(33.69±2.41)t = 9.17,P= 0.00].Eight weeks after treatment stopped at the end of the 24-week treatment period,the evaluation scores of the Treatment Group were still conspicuously lower than those before treatment.[ABC scores(95.57±12.05),(69.45±8.76)t =9.60,P= 0.00;CARS scores(42.79±4.83),(33.56±2.45)t = 9.33,P= 0.00];the evaluation scores of the Control Group were lower than those before treatment too.[ABC scores(95.04±11.87),(76.29±8.11)t =7.14,P= 0.00;CARS scores(42.55±4.71),(35.13±2.67)t =7.51,P= 0.00].At the end of 24-week treatment period,the evaluation scores of the Treatment Group were conspicuously lower when comparing with the evaluation scores of the Control Group.[ABC scores(63.22±9.60),(69.87±8.09)t =-2.90,P= 0.01;CARS scores(31.58±2.54),(33.69±2.41)t =-3.30,P= 0.00]。At the same time,the evaluation scores of the Treatment Group were conspicuously lower when comparing with the evaluation scores of the Control Group,too in the result of eight weeks after treatment stopped at the end of the 24-week treatment period.[ABC scores(69.45±8.76),(76.29±8.11)t =-3.14,P= 0.00;CARS scores(33.56±2.45),(35.13±2.67)t =-2.37,P= 0.02].All the differences in between of the above evaluation scores have statistic meaning.Overall,treatments using in both Treatment Group and Control Group,all the separate items in ABC have different degrees of improvement and the difference is statistically significant.But the improvement in the extent and speed in separate items is not the same.On the other hand,according to the CARS in both Treatment Group and Control Group,treatments using in both groups have different degree of improvement in different level of autism.The improvement of the condition and speed of the disease was not consistent,the difference of the score between and after research was statistically significant.But not all the difference between the different levels had statistically significant.Conclusion:(1)Journal research: due to increased attention to autism,there has been a rise in the number of journal articles on autism around the world in recent years although the increase has slowed more recently.The depth and breadth of the researches have also changed from being simply focused on the medical treatment,psychology and educational training of autistic children to paying attention to the psychology and physiology of parents and carers of autistic children as well as the impact on families and society.Analyzing journal research data,acupuncture treatment of autism regardless of the use of the Acupoint location method,the head of the location of the position function and brain regions in the scalp reflex area is similar.(2)The clinical research has proven that the combined use of acupuncture and auricular seed pressing therapy can lower the evaluation scores of autistic children more conspicuously than using acupuncture alone.Even after treatment has been completed for a period,the conditions of autistic children are still improved from their conditions prior to the treatment,which shows the combined use of acupuncture and auricular seed pressing therapy has a more conspicuous and lasting effect. |
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