A Randomized Controlled Study On Treating Chronic Fatigue Sundrome By Acupuncturing Acupoints On Meridians

Objects:It is to evaluate clinical curative effect of acupuncturing acupoints on meridians to treat chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) by regarding placebo acupuncturing non-acupoints out of meridians as the control.Methods:72patients that fited to the diagnosis of CFS were randomly assigned to acupuncturing acupoints on meridians group (47patients) and placebo acupuncturing non-acupoints out of meridians group (25patients) with a randomized controlled researching method, according to central random system and the2:1rate of the two groups. Acupoints of ganshu (BL18), shenshu (BL23), zusanli (ST36) and shenmen (HT7) were selected in acupuncturing acupoints on meridians group, and4non-acupoints out of meridians were selected in placebo acupuncturing non-acupoints out of meridians group, and both of them were treated by German Straitberg needles. Unilateral points were chosed every time, and left and right points were chosed alternately, and the needles were inserted into the points with the mild reinforcing-reducing method. The two groups were treated5times in the first week,3times in the second and third week,2times in the fourth week, and followed up at the sixteenth week. They were evaluated by Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Somatic and Psychological Health Report (SPHERE) and Short Form-36Health Survey (SF-36) before treatment, at the fourth and sixteenth week in order to evaluate patinents’ fatigue scale, accompanying symptoms and quality of life.Results:1.The FSS scores of acupuncturing acupoints on meridians group and placebo acupuncturing non-acupoints out of meridians group reduced apparently after fourth-week treatment(P<0.05), and the reducing scores of FSS of acupuncturing acupoints on meridians group were apparently larger than that of placebo acupuncturing non-acupoints out of meridians group(P<0.05).2. The SPHERE score of acupuncturing acupoints on meridians group reduced apparently (P<0.05)and the SPHERE score of placebo acupuncturing non-acupoints out of meridians group reduced slightly after fourth-week treatment(P>0.05), and the reducing score of SPHERE of acupuncturing acupoints on meridians group was apparently larger than that of placebo acupuncturing non-acupoints out of meridians group(P<0.05).3. The total score of SF-36and scores of physical functioning (PF), role physical (RP), role emotional (RE), vitality (VT), mental health (MH) and general health (GH) of acupuncturing acupoints on meridians group increased apparently after fourth-week treatment(P<0.05), and score of bodily pain (BP) increased slightly(P>0.05), but score of social functioning (SF) reduced apparently(P<0.05); the total score of SF-36and scores of social functioning (SF) and bodily pain (BP) of placebo acupuncturing non-acupoints out of meridians group increased apparently after fourth-week treatment(P<0.05), and scores of physical functioning (PF), role physical (RP), role emotional (RE), vitality (VT), mental health (MH) and general health (GH) increased slightly(P>0.05); the increased scores of mental health (MH), general health (GH) and role physical (RP) of acupuncturing acupoints on meridians group were apparently larger than that of placebo acupuncturing non-acupoints out of meridians group(P<0.05).4. Compared to the scores before treatment, the two groups had no significant difference (P>0.05) at the aspect of reducing scores of FSS and SPHERE at the sixteenth week; the increased scores of total score of SF-36and increased scores of mental health (MH), general health (GH) and role physical (RP) of acupuncturing acupoints on meridians group were apparently larger than that of placebo acupuncturing non-acupoints out of meridians group at the sixteenth week (P<0.05).Concluctions:1. For short-term curative effect of easing fatigue scale, reducing accompanying symptoms and imploving mental health (MH), general health (GH) and role physical (RP), acupuncturing acupoints on meridians was better than placebo acupuncturing non-acupoints out of meridians, so acupuncturing acupoints on meridians to treat CFS had specific curative effect.2. For short-term curative effect of enhancing quality of life on the whole, acupuncturing acupoints on meridians was better than placebo acupuncturing non-acupoints out of meridians, but longer period of treatments might be needed if we wanted to consolidate the curative effect.