| ObjectiveThis study used simple randomized, controlled trial design method to evaluate the therapeutic effects on sciatical pain. Participants in the treatment group were treated with Jin’s trio acupuncture plus the subtle turtle’s octonary acupuncture. The first control group used the Jin’s trio acupuncture only, while the second control group used regular meridian syndrome differentiation acupuncture. Our purpose is to seek out a simple, pragmatic way that can be suitable for Hong Kong’s smaller TCM clinics; so as to alleviate patients’pain and their discomforts in life. At the same time, we hope to provide clinical data for mainstream time acupuncture therapies like the subtle turtle’s octonary acupuncture.Method90participants were randomly assigned into three groups; each group consisted of30participants.The participants came from MOCM Wai Pak Chinese Medicine Clinic in Hong Kong. The treatment group was treated with the subtle turtle’s octonary acupuncture, plus Jin’s trio acupuncture therapy. The first control group was treated with Jin’s trio acupuncture only; while the second control group the regular meridian syndrome differentiation acupuncture. Participants were randomly replaced if they failed to finish their respective treatment courses. After all3groups’participants had finished their treatment courses, their cases were compared on a group to group basis. Moreover, each case would be further differentiated into radicular sciatica or pseudo sciatica according to modern medicine’s standard of diagnosis. Using TCM’s syndrome differentiation standard, all cases were again differetiated into4syndromes, namly:the cold dampness, the heat dampness, the blood stasis and the kidney deficiency; we then conduct the intra-group comparisons.Results 1.The results of the Visual Analogue Scale showed that symptoms of all three groups were significantly lower than that before treatment, with P <0.01. The treatment group was significantly better than the two control groups, with P<0.01.2. The results of the JOA score showed that, in all3groups, the therapeutic efficacy of pseudo sciatica was better than that of radicular sciatica, suggesting that the latter was more difficult to cure. The treatment group was significantly better than the two control groups, with P<0.05.3. Oswestry (CODI) result showed that symptoms of all three groups were significantly lower than that before treatment, with P<0.01.The treatment group was significantly better than the two control groups, with P<0.01, whereas the therapeutic efficacy of the two control groups was not significantly different from each other, with P>0.05.4. According to the standard set by [The standard for TCM diseases’ diagnosis and therapeutic results], which was published in China by TCM authority in1994, we differentiated all cases into4syndromes for the sake of intra-group comparisons, namly:The cold dampness, the heat dampness, the blood stasis and the kidney deficiency. We can see that the therapeutic efficacy of cold dampness and heat dampness was better than that of blood stasis and kidney deficiency; suggesting that the latter pair was more difficult to cure. Yet the differences of therapeutic efficacy among the4syndromes were not significant, with P>0.05. As for inter-group comparison, the treatment group was significantly better than that of the two control groups, with P <0.01.ConclusionUnder the guidance of ancient acupuncture theory, together with modern clinically based evidence, we envisage to use ancient method in a modern way. Based on the subtle turtle’s octonary acupuncture and Jin’s trio acupuncture, we investigate their therapeutic efficacy on sciatica and analyse its pathogenesis. We conclude that the combined therapeutic efficacy of the subtle turtle’s octonary acupuncture and Jin’s trio acupuncture is better than that of Jin’s trio acupuncture alone, or that of regular meridian syndrome differentiation acupuncture alone. |
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