A Clinical Observation On The Timeliness Of Deep Acupuncture At Tianshu (ST 25) In The Treatment Of Chronic Functional Constipation

Objective:To look for a safe and stable clinical therapy with no side effect for chronic functional constipation (CFC) based on the observation of deep acupuncture at Tianshu (ST 25) regarding its therapeutic effects, onset time and duration of effects.Methods:88 cases of CFC conforming to the criteria of this subject were randomly divided into three groups.36 of them were treated with deep acupuncture at Tianshu (ST 25),31 of them were treated by taking lactulose orally and another 21 cases were treated with routine acupuncture at Tianshu (ST 25). During 4 weeks of treatment, observation was conducted on the weekly constipation scores of the three groups, including major symptom scores such as the extent of defecation difficulty, the feeling of incompletion, and duration of each bowel movement, etc. In addition, the time of the first spontaneous defecation of the patients as well as the weekly frequency of spontaneous defecation during treatment,1 month,3 months and 6 months after treatment were observed. The colonic transit time of the patients before treatment and after treatment were also observed.Results:1. The time of the first spontaneous defecation of the patients treated by deep acupuncture at Tianshu (ST 25) and taking lactulose orally are short,they have the advantages of rapid onset.2. The short-term effect of deep acupuncture at Tianshu (ST 25) in treating chronic functional constipation (CFC) is confirmed. The constipation score and improvement on spontaneous defecation frequency of deep acupuncture at Tianshu (ST 25) are better than that of the other two groups. With the increase in the number of acupuncture,the effect is more obviousely. Around the third week of treatment, improvement on symptoms of the patients in the lactulose group started to diminish.3. The improvement on spontaneous defecation frequency by deep acupuncture at Tianshu (ST 25) is still significant.The recurrence rate of constipation of the patients in the deep acupuncture group is lower than that of the patients in the other two control groups.4. Improvement on colonic transit time by deep acupuncture at Tianshu (ST 25) is more significant than by taking lactulose orally.Conclusion:The effect of deep acupuncture at Tianshu (ST 25) in treating chronic functional constipation (CFC) is confirmed. It has the advantages of rapid onset and significant improvement on symptoms. Both of its short-term and long-term effects are satisfactory.