| ObjectiveDue to the fast pace of modern life and high stress, insomnia has become a common disease of modern society, ranging from small impact on living, working and studying to big impact on physical health, which further leads to psychological fear, generates negative emotions, such as depression or anxiety, and for loses interest in life. Nowadays, Hong Kong people have a very busy life, with long working hours but little rest. This can easily cause mental stress, so in Hong Kong, insomnia is a common phenomenon. Department of Health Hong Kong conducted a research about insomnia in2008, which showed that20%of respondents were long affected by insomnia, and projected that the insomnia population in Hong Kong was up to140million; Chinese University of Hong Kong pointed out that only11.9%of respondents had insomnia problems in its survey way back in1998. It is reflected that the insomnia problem among Hong Kong people was quickly worsened. Department of Health cited an international study, which pointed out that the insomnia percentage in various places around the world was between4%and22%. All of these indicate that the insomnia problem in Hong Kong has reached the most serious state at the the world’s level.As a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, I notice that there is the increasingly fierce competition in the society and people are in the state of long-term mental tensions, therefore the insomnia cases of liver-fire type due to abnormal emotions are increasing continuously across different age groups. I have the sense of responsibility that, based on the current society multi-development and the change of human living environment, that I shall investigate new methods on treating insomnia and provide more clinically effective prescriptions for improving the current insomnia situation and seeking the long-term physical and mental health benefits for patients, by incorporating the special time and regional features of current Hong Kong. This research first makes the analysis on the insomnia literature focuses on investigating the cause-and-effect relationship between catharsis liver failure and liver-fire type insomnia as well as its variations. Based on such findings, the clinical randomized controlled testing scheme is utilized aiming to evaluate the clinical effectiveness on treating insomnia patients of liver-fire type with the innovative treatment method-Shu Gan Qing Huo Xing Qi Huo Xue Tiao Qi Jie Yu Method.MethodsBased on the experiences of ancient and modern physicians that serve as the foundation, a lot of clinical practices by fellow experts in this field and me, as well as the observation on the work-life situation in Hong Kong, it is deduced that the causes of insomnia patients in Hong Kong are mainly due to emotional injury, catharsis liver failure and liver fire. This approach of thinking is that, as derived from the basics of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the treatment of liver comes first. Since liver fire is caused by the liver qi stagnation, the treatment principle is removing liver qi stagnation and clearing liver fire. At the same time, rebalancing five organs, which include heart, liver, spleen, stomache and kidney, and curing six kinds of stasis, which are responsible for variations on Insomnia types, are also important. Six kinds of stasis include qi, blood, phlegm, fire, mositure and food. When qi and blood flow smooth, the mind is at peace. Nice sleep is obtained.This clinical selected60cases of liver-fire type insomnia patients. With the use of single-blind randomized controlled method, they were divided into treatment group and control group, each30cases. This study enrolled cases at Kyorin Xuan Chinese Medicine Clinic during the period between June2013and November2013. All patients met the diagnostic criteria and the inclusive criteria for liver-fire type of insomnia. There were a total of60cases. Treatment group contained12male patients and18female patients. In terms of age, the youngest patient was19years old and the eldest patient was64years old. The mean age was38.93±13.03years old; Control group contained14male patients and16female patients, the youngest patient was18years old, the eldest patient was65years old, the mean age was39.67±12.61years old. Treatment group patients and control group patients showed no significant difference (P>0.05) in terms of age distribution. Two groups were comparable.All patients fulfilled both the Chinese and Western diagnotistic and inclusive criteria. Before the treatment began, the basic information of all patients in two groups was collected. It was found that two groups had no significant differences (P>0.05) in aspects of sleep duration disctribution, fall-asleep time distribution, TCM symptom’s component scores and total score, and PSQI’s all component scores and total score. Two groups were comparable. Two weeks before the treatment started, both groups of patients stopped all kinds of Chinese, Western and other kinds of medicines that treated insomnia. Treatment group was given concentrated Traditional Chinese Medicine granules of Long Dan Xie Gan Shang and Yue Ju Wan, taken orally, each50g per time, two doses a day, mixed with warm water,250ml in morning,250ml at night. Control group was given concentrated Traditional Chinese Medicine granules of Dan Zhi Xiao Yao San, taken orally,100g per time, two doses a day, mixed with warm water,250ml in morning,250ml at night. All medicines were produced by Nong’s Company Limited. The whole course was eight weeks. Patients of both groups were tested with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Syndrome Scale of TCM, before treatment and after8weeks of treatment, for accessing the clinical efficacy of the medicines. After the experiment, all clinical data was timely aggregated by being inputted into the computer calculator. Excel software was established as the database for data management. SPSS21.0software system was employed for statistical analysis, which evaluated the clinical efficacy of treatment group and that of control group objectively.ResultsThe clinical experiment result shows:based on the statistical analysis, the results shows that Shu Gan Qing Huo Xing Qi Huo Xue Tiao Qi Jie Yu Method can improve the symptoms and signs on patients of liver- fire type insomnia significantly. In the aspect of PSQI insomnia point efficacy, treatment group had the following result:3cases totally cured,23cases significantly effective,4cases effective,1case not effective. The total efficiency rate was96.67%. Control group had the following result:1case totally cured,15cases significantly effective,11cases effective,3cases not effective. The total efficiency rate was90.00%. Between treatment group and control group, the difference had the significant meaning (P<0.05), which stated that in the aspect of PSQI insomnia point efficacy, the effectiveness of treatment group medicines was better than that of control group medicines. In terms of TCM syndrome improvement, treatment group had the following result:4cases totally cured,17cases significantly effective,8cases effective,1case not effective. The total efficiency rate was96.67%. On the other hand, control group had the following result:2cases totally cured,11cases significantly effective,8cases effective,4cases not effective. The total efficiency rate was86.67%. Between treatment group and control group, the difference had the significant meaning (P<0.05), which stated that in terras TCM syndrome improvement, the effectiveness of treatment group medicines was better than that of control group medicines. No serious clinical adverse reactions were observed.ConclusionShu Gan Qing Huo Xing Qi Huo Xue Tiao Qi Jie Yu Method in treating insomnia patients of liver-fire type can ease insomnia symptoms effectively and significantly, and it can improve TCM syndromes of patients such as inability of sleep due to upsetting mood, irritability, red face and eyes, dry and bitter mouth, constipation and yellow urine, etc. The curative effect on treating insomnia is good. The method is workable and effective, and can be extended at clinical level.The invesigation also showed that, there are no reports about the combined usage of Traditional Chinese medicines of Long Dan Xie Gan Shang and Yue Ju Wan in treating liver-fire type insomnia, inside and outside the country. As a result, this innovative treatment method on targeting the pathogenesis of liver-fire cause and its variations provides a new direction and a new way for the existing spectrum of clinical insomnia treatments. This also enriches the studies of TCM in the area of treating insomnia. |
PDF Full Text Request