Acupuncture Drug Combination Treatment Of Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Advantage Program Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Objective: This trial was designed to explore the efficacy and necessity of acupuncture and moxibustion with traditional Chineses medicine and Western medicine for early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment by clinical randomized controlled trial. The goal of this study was to provide a reliable evidence for superiority of acupuncture and moxibustion with traditional Chineses medicine and Western medicine curing early RA, and a scientific method to cure, verdict and prediction for early RA .Methods: On the basis of principles of randomized controlled trials, sixty-four in department patients were divided into two groups : traditional Chineses medicine and Western medicine treatment, acupuncture and moxibustion with traditional Chineses medicine and Western medicine treatment. The former group was given MTX, Meloxicam, and Total Glucosides of Paeony, while the later group was added acupuncture and moxibustion treatment. After a month we observed the improvement in tender and swollen joint counts , ESR and RF. One docter, ignorant of the design evaluated the above and pain, patient and physician global assessments , disability according to the horizontal virtical assessment scale (10 cm ) and the health assessment questionaire.Results : The results suggest that there were statistical differences between the two groups.The improvement in tenderand swollen joint counts, pain, patient and physician global assessments of acupuncture and moxibustion with traditional Chineses medicine and Western medicine treatment was more powerful than traditional Chineses medicine and Western medicine treatment.Conclusion: The present trail indicates that both acupuncture and moxibustion with traditional Chineses medicine and Western medicine treatment and traditional Chineses medicine and Western medicine treatment have beneficial effect on early RA. In addtion, the former was better in improvement in tender and swollen joint counts , pain , patient and physician global assessments in accord with the outcome of the comparative trial.