The Clinical Research Of Thread Embedding Therapy Combined With Auricular Acupressure For The Obesity Featuring Dampness Accumulation Due To Spleen Deficiency

BackgroundFor recent years, with the rise of living standard, obese patients have constantly increased. Obese is supposedly an illness of affluence which affects our physical beauty, health and longevity. Researchers have found that obese easily induces cerebral thrombosis, hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus and gallstones. What is more serious is that an obese patient has a shorter life expectancy. Therefore, obese has badly affected the patients'quality of life. Based on the above, the research of new treatment methods for obese has become one of popular issues in contemporary medicine. In view of this, this study is aimed at observation of outcomes of thread embedding therapy combined with auricular acupressure for simple obesity. In addition, the review of the opinion of traditional Chinese medicine indicates that spleen-stomach is source of phlegm and obesity is caused by phlegm. Phlegm-dampness caused by spleen qi weakness is a key link to onset of simple obesity. It is also the most common syndrome in clinical presentation. Consequently, this study focused on the obese patients with syndrome of dampness accumulation due to spleen deficiency. Through thread embedding therapy combined with auricular acupressure, we tried to offer the simple obese patients an easier and faster treatment method with reliable long-term effects.PurposeObserve the clinical curative effect of thread embedding therapy combined with auricular acupressure for treating the simple obesity which features dampness accumulation due to spleen deficiency. We tried to offer the simple obese patients a more convenient and more effective therapy. We also hope that this therapy can be popularized and applied in clinical practice. MethodsWith random number table, the sixty qualified simple obese patients with syndrome of dampness accumulation due to spleen deficiency were assigned into two groups, the treatment group (30 cases) and the control group (30 cases). The thread embedding therapy combined with auricular acupressure was given to patients of the treatment group while the patients of the control group only received auricular acupressure. The observation duration was six months (from June 2010 to Dec.2010), and the treatment duration was three months. The acupoints selection of the thread embedding therapy:Zhongguan, Shuifen, Tianshu and Daheng on the abdomen; Pishu and Weishu on the back; Fenglong, Zusanli on the foot. The acupoints selection of the auricular acupressure: Sanjiao, Wei, Pi, Neifenmi, Shenmen and Jidian. The thread embedding treatment course consisted of six times of thread-embedding. And the patients received the therapy once every 15 days. The auricular acupressure was applied three times a day,30 minutes before three meals. The acupressure lasted 3-5 minutes each time. The ear acupoints tapping applied together with thread embedding was ripped off after 3-5 days. The acupoints selections of the two groups are the same. After the treatment courses, the statistics software SPSS 13.0 was used to compare the patients'clinical symptoms, physical signs-functions and adverse reaction pre-and post-treat in order to evaluate the therapeutic efficiency.Results(1) After the treatment, there were significant improvements on corpulence symptoms in both groups (P<0.01). Compared to the control group, the more significant improvements (P<0.01) on the symptoms of edema, eating less, anorexia, abdomen fullness, and stool were found in the treatment group (thread embedding therapy combined with auricular acupressure). (2) There were significant improvements on physical signs and functions in both groups. Compared to the control group, the more significant improvements (P<0.01) on BMI and waist circumference were found in the treatment group (thread embedding therapy combined with auricular acupressure). (3) In the evaluation of overall therapeutic efficiency, the overall effective rate of the treatment group was 90.0%, and that of the control group was 66.7%. The comparison between two groups (P<0.05) showed that the therapeutic efficiency of thread embedding combined with auricular acupressure is better than the simple auricular acupressure therapy. According the above results, in the evaluation of clinical symptoms and physical signs functions, the therapeutic efficiency of the treatment group (thread embedding therapy combined with auricular acupressure) is better than the control group (simple auricular acupressure).ConclusionFor the simple obese patients having syndrome of dampness accumulation due to spleen deficiency, the thread embedding therapy combined with auricular acupressure can strengthen spleen, excrete water, eliminate dampness, and improve the metabolism in order to achieve effective treatment. The thread embedding therapy combined with auricular acupressure is good for applying in the clinical use because of remarkable therapeutic effects and few side effects.