| Benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)is a commonly-occurring disease among old-aged men.Among its clinical symptoms are the need to urinate frequently,urgency,increase in frequency of aking at night to urinate,straining to void etc.which severely affects the quality of life in patients.Presently,treatment of BPH involves medicinal and surgical treatment etc.However,as most elderly patients aving serious cardio-pulmonary illnesses,general weakness in addition to BPH,it is difficult for them to ndergo the stress of surgery,while at the same time long-term usage of a single drug lacks efficacy.After many years of clinical practice,Professor Zhang Yao Sheng has proposed the new theory of "Meridian-differentiation diagnosis for guiding treatment".According to the theory,it is believed that prostatic hyperplasia is related to the conception vessel meridian whereby in a pathological condition,Yin unites and gathers while Yang Qi is deficient and weak.Early phase clinical trials adhering to the basis of this theory obtained very good effects with ingested herbal medicine.This research involves choosing acupoints along the Conception vessel meridian to be applied with external ointment thus building on the foundation of this theory.The traits of this mode of therapy are ease of application,ease of acceptance by patients,being painless,having low risk of side-effects and high rate of compliance.In a clinical setting,it has demonstrated its advantages and deserves further research and popularization.Aim:This research aims to use topical application of ointment onto acupoints on the Conception vessel meridian to treat patients with BPH,using IPSS scores,quality of life index,changes in Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)symptoms as a means of objectively evaluating the clinical effectiveness and safety of this method to explore a new method of treating BPH.Methodology:Using randomized-controlled trials,40 patients with BPH(TCM syndrome of Kidney deficiency-blood stasis)were chosen and separated to a control and treatment group.The control group was given Weng Li Tong capsules to be taken 2 times a day,3 capsules each time.The treatment group in addition to the abovementioned protocol stated in the control group was also given topical ointment application along the Conception vessel meridian to be used once a day.Using 2 weeks as one course of treatment,in total 2 courses of treatment were logged.After 4 weeks,IPSS scores,voiding symptoms,quality of life index and TCM symptoms were again compared with that before treatment.All results were statistically analyzed using SPSS20.0 with p<0.05 showing statistical significance.Outcome:After 2 courses of treatment,the total effective rate of the treatment group was 85%while the control was 70%.Comparing between groups,the treatment group fared better than the control(p<0.05).Both groups displayed improvements in IPSS scores,voiding symptoms,quality of life index and TCM symptoms compared to that before treatment,however the treatment group displayed higher efficacy compared to the control in a difference which was statistically significant(p<0.05).Conclusion:Weng Li Tong capsules can improve clinical symptoms of BPH,improve IPSS scores,quality of life index.Paired with topical application of ointment onto acupoints on the Conception vessel meridian,patients experienced a greater improvement in their clinical symptoms and IPSS scores.As the duration of the study was short and the volume of the prostate had little correlation with clinical symptoms,hence the study did not analyze changes in prostate volume.This study verified the clinical effectiveness,safety,affordability,and ease in using topical application of ointment onto acupoints on the Conception vessel meridian hence aiding in popularization of this therapy.It also validated Professor Zhang’s new theory of "Prostate gland meridians attribution",hence laying the foundation and thereby aiding in the next step of carrying out large-scale clinical research and animal testing. |
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