Observation of the efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion in 62 cases of chronic colitis. Moxibustion Treatment for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Multi-Centre, Non-Blinded, Randomised Controlled Trial on the Effectiveness and Safety of the Moxibustion Treatment versus Usual Care in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients [Clinical observation on warming needle moxibustion plus exercise for treatment of temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome]. The Effectiveness of Moxibustion: An Overview During 10 Years Effectiveness of moxibustion treatment as adjunctive therapy in osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial [Post-stroke depression treated with acupuncture and moxibustion: an evaluation of therapeutic effect and safety]. [Observation on therapeutic effect of herb-partitioned moxibustion on fibromyalgia syndrome]. Treatment of ankylosing spondylitis with medicated moxibustion plus salicylazosulfapyridine and methotrexate--a report of 30 cases. Symptom Management for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Acupuncture/Moxibustion Acupuncture and Moxibustion as An Adjunctive Treatment for Osteoarthritis of the Knee - a Large Case Series Acupuncture and Moxibustion in the Treatment of Active Crohn’s Disease: A Randomized Controlled Study [Observation on therapeutic effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on hyperemesis gravidarum]. Acupuncture for Chronic Pain in Japan: A Review Comparison of the Efficacy between Conventional Moxibustion and Smoke-Free Moxibustion on Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial Moxibustion for pain relief in patients with primary dysmenorrhea: A randomized controlled trial [A randomized controlled study on warming needle moxibustion for treatment of knee osteoarthritis]. Efficacy and safety of ginger-salt-indirect moxibustion for urge urinary incontinence after stroke: protocol for a pilot multicentre randomised controlled trial
62 patients with chronic colitis were r and omly divided into two groups . Acupuncture and moxibustion at acupoints such as Tianshu ( St 25 ) , Guanyuan ( Ren 4 ) were applied in the treatment group , and western drugs were applied in the control group . The results showed that acupuncture and moxibustion had a marked curative effective with few side effects , and therefore was readily acceptable to the patients Introduction This study tested the effectiveness of moxibustion on pain and function in chronic knee osteoarthritis ( KOA ) and evaluated safety . Methods A multi-centre , non-blinded , parallel-group , r and omised controlled trial compared moxibustion with usual care ( UC ) in KOA . 212 South Korean patients aged 40–70 were recruited from 2011–12 , stratified by mild ( Kellgren/Lawrence scale grade s 0/1 ) and moderate-severe KOA ( grade s 2/3/4 ) , and r and omly allocated to moxibustion  or UC  for four weeks . Moxibustion involved burning mugwort devices over acupuncture and Ashi points in affected knee(s ) . UC was allowed . Korean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Question naire ( K-WOMAC ) , Short Form 36 Health Survey ( SF-36v2 ) , Beck Depression Inventory ( BDI ) , physical performance test , pain numeric rating scale ( NRS ) and adverse events were evaluated at 5 and 13 weeks . K-WOMAC global score at 5 weeks was the primary outcome . Results 102 patients ( 73 mild , 29 moderate-severe ) were allocated to moxibustion , 110 ( 77 mild , 33 moderate-severe ) to UC . K-WOMAC global score ( moxibustion 25.42+/−SD 19.26 , UC 33.60+/−17.91 , p<0.01 , effect size = 0.0477 ) , NRS ( moxibustion 44.77+/−22.73 , UC 56.23+/−17.71 , p<0.01 , effect size = 0.0073 ) and timed-st and test  ( moxibustion 24.79+/−9.76 , UC 25.24+/−8.84 , p = 0.0486 , effect size = 0.0021 ) were improved by moxibustion at 5 weeks . The primary outcome improved for mild but not moderate-severe KOA . At 13 weeks , moxibustion significantly improved the K-WOMAC global score and NRS .  Moxibustion  improved SF-36 physical component summary ( p = 0.0299 ) , bodily pain ( p = 0.0003 ) , physical functioning ( p = 0.0025 ) and social functioning ( p = 0.0418 ) at 5 weeks , with no difference in mental component summary at 5 and 13 weeks . BDI showed no difference ( p = 0.34 ) at 5 weeks . After 1158 moxibustion treatments , 121 adverse events included first ( n = 6 ) and second degree ( n = 113 ) burns , pruritus and fatigue ( n = 2 ) . Conclusions Moxibustion may improve pain , function and quality of life in KOA patients , but adverse events are common . Limitations included no sham control or blinding . Trial Registration Clinical Research Information Service ( CRIS ) OBJECTIVE To search for a better therapy for temporom and ibular joint dysfunction syndrome . METHODS Two hundred and ten cases of temporom and ibular joint dysfunction syndrome were r and omly divided into a treatment group , a control group I and a control group II , 70 cases in each group . The treatment group were treated with warming needle moxibustion plus exercise , with Hegu ( LI 4 ) , Xiaguan ( ST 7 ) , Yifeng ( TE 17 ) and so on selected , in combination with opening and closing the mouth ; the control group I were treated with simple filiform needle needling , and the control group II with local blocking therapy . The therapeutic effects of the 3 groups were compared . RESULTS The total effective rate was 94.3 % in the treatment group , 87.1 % in the control group I and 85.7 % in the control group II with a significant difference among the 3 groups , the treatment group being better than the two control groups ( P < 0.05 ) . CONCLUSION Warming needle moxibustion plus exercise has a good therapeutic effect on temporom and ibular joint dysfunction syndrome Moxibustion has been used to treat various types of disease . However , there is still insufficient evidence regarding its effectiveness . This study was performed to summarize and evaluate the effectiveness of moxibustion . A search was performed for all r and omized controlled trials in PubMed between January 1998 and July 2008 with no language restriction . The results yielded 47 trials in which six moxibustion types were applied to 36 diseases ranging from breech presentation to digestive disorders .  Moxibustion was compared to three types of control group : general care , Oriental medical therapies or waiting list . Moxibustion was superior to the control in 14 out of 54 control groups in 46 studies . There were no significant differences among groups in 7 studies , and the outcome direction was not determined in 33 studies . Seven studies were included in a meta- analysis . Moxibustion was more effective than medication in two ulcerative colitis studies ( relative risk ( 95 % CI ) , 2.20 ( 1.37 , 3.52 ) , P = .001 , I 2 = 0 % ) . Overall , our results did not support the effectiveness of moxibustion  in specific diseases due to the limited number and low quality of the studies and inadequate use of controls . In order to provide appropriate evidence regarding the effectiveness of moxibustion , more rigorous clinical trials using appropriate controls are warranted Introduction Our objective was to compare the effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese moxibustion to that of sham moxibustion in patients with chronic knee osteoarthritis ( KOA ) pain . Methods We conducted a r and omized placebo-controlled trial involving 110 patients with KOA who met the inclusion criteria . These patients r and omly received either active moxibustion ( n = 55 ) or sham moxibustion control ( n = 55 ) at acupoints Dubi ( ST 35 ) , extra-point Neixiyan ( EX-LE 4 ) , and an Ashi ( tender ) point three times a week for 6 weeks . Effects were evaluated with Western Ontario and McMaster Universities ’ Osteoarthritis Index ( WOMAC VA 3.1 ) criteria at the end of the course of treatment and 3 , 12 , and 24 weeks after the initial treatment . Results The WOMAC pain scores showed greater improvement in the active treatment group than in control at weeks 3 ( P = 0.012 ) , 6 ( P < 0.001 ) , 12 ( P = 0.002 ) , and 24 ( P = 0.002 ) as did WOMAC physical function scores of the active treatment group at week 3 ( P = 0.002 ) , 6 ( P = 0.015 ) , and 12 ( P < 0.001 ) but not 24 ( P = 0.058 ) . Patients and practitioners were blinded successfully , and no significant adverse effects were found during the trial . Conclusions A 6-week course of moxibustion seems to relieve pain effectively and improve function in patients with KOA for up to 18 weeks after the end of treatment . Moxibustion treatment appears to be safe , and the usefulness of the novel moxa device was vali date d . Trial registration Current controlled trial : IS RCT N68475405 . Registered 4 April 2014 OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of post-stroke depression ( PSD ) by regulating the liver and strengthening the root prescription . METHODS In light of the r and om controlled trial principle , 123 cases were r and omized into an acupuncture-moxibustion group ( 42 cases ) , a medication group ( 40 cases ) and an acupuncture + medication group ( 41 cases ) . In the acupuncture-moxibustion group , the therapy of regulating the liver and strengthening the root was applied . Acupuncture was given at Hegu ( LI 4 ) , Taichong ( LR 3 ) , Baihui ( GV 20 , Yintang ( GV 29 ) , etc . The granule moxibustion was applied at Zhongwan ( CV 12 ) , Xiawan ( CV 10 ) , Guanyuan ( CV 4 ) and Qihai ( CV 6 ) . The treatment was given once a day and stopped in weekend . In the medication group , paroxetine hydrochloride tablets were prescribed for oral administration , 20 mg each day after breakfast . In the acupuncture + medication group , the therapies were adopted as the acupuncture-moxibustion group and the medication group . In the 2nd and 4th week of treatment , HAMD was used as the primary index and Barthel index as the secondary one for the efficacy assessment in the three groups respectively . The spleen and stomach syndrome scale of TCM was used for the assessment of TCM syndrome efficacy . Treatment emergent symptom scale ( TESS ) was applied for the safety assessment . RESULTS In the 4th week of treatment , the markedly effective rates were 69.0 % ( 29/42 ) , 65.0 % ( 26/40 ) and 70.7 % ( 29/41 ) in the acupuncture-moxibustion group , the medication group and the acupuncture + medication group respectively . The efficacies of anti-depression were similar in comparison among groups ( P > 0.05 ) . In the 2nd week of treatment , the improvement of HAMD score was significant in the acupuncture + medication group as compared with that before treatment and in comparison with the medication group ( P < 0.05 , P < 0.01 ) . As for improving Barthel index , reducing the spleen and stomach symptom score of TCM and decreasing the score of TESS , the results in the acupuncture-moxibustion group and the acupuncture + medication group were superior to those in the medication group ( P < 0.05 , P < 0.01 ) . CONCLUSION The therapy of acupuncture and moxibustion with regulating the liver and strengthening the root achieves the definite efficacy of anti-depression and presents the quite high safety in treatment OBJECTIVE To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of herb-partitioned moxibustion combined with medication on fibromyalgia syndrome . METHODS Sixty cases were r and omly divided into a treatment group and an observation group , 30 cases in each group . The observation group was treated with oral administration of amitriptyline , and the treatment group with oral administration of amitriptyline and herb-partitioned moxibustion at Dazhui ( GV 14 ) , Zhiyang ( GV 9 ) , Mingmen ( GV 4 ) , Shenshu ( BL 23 ) , Guanyuan ( CV 4 ) , Shenque ( CV 8) , and direct moxibustion at Baihui ( GV 20 ) . After treatment of one month , their clinical therapeutic effect , and changes of the number of pain points and the scores of VAS and the HAMD depression rating scale were observed . RESULTS The total effective rate was 93.3 % in the treatment group and 56.7 % in the observation group , the former being better than the latter ( P<0.01 ) . The scores of VAS and HAMD and the number of pain points after treatment in the treatment group were better than those before treatment ( P<0.01 ) ; the score of HAMD and the number of pain points after treatment in the observation group were superior to those before treatment ( P<0.01 ) , and there was no significant difference in the score of VAS before and after treatment ( P>0.05 ) . After treatment , the score of HAMD and the number of pain points in the treatment group were significantly better than those in the observation group ( P<0.01 ) , and there was no significant difference between the two groups in the score of VAS ( P>0.05 ) . CONCLUSION The herb-partitioned moxibustion combined with medication is an effective therapy for fibromyalgia syndrome OBJECTIVE To evaluate the therapeutic effect of medicated moxibustion plus administration of salicylazosulfapyridine ( SASP ) and methotrexate ( MTX ) for treatment of active ankylosing spondylitis ( AS ) . METHOD Ninety cases of active AS were r and omly assigned to Group A , B and C ( N = 30 in each group ) , and treated respectively with SASP and MTX , acupuncture plus SASP and MTX , and composite sulfur ( tablet ) moxibustion plus SASP and MTX for 3 successive courses ( 2 months each course with an interval of 5 days ) . RESULTS Improvement in sacroiliitis index , Schober test , occipital wall test , finger-ground distance , as well as the erythrocyte sedimentation rate ( ESR ) and the content of C-reactive protein ( CRP ) in Group B and C was far superior to that of Group A ( P < 0.01 ) . CONCLUSION Combined use of western medicine with acupuncture or with medicated moxibustion produces a better therapeutic effect than western medicine given alone The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the effect of an individualized traditional Chinese medicine ( TCM ) acupuncture and moxibustion ( Acu/Moxa ) treatment on symptom control in patients with irritable bowel syndrome ( IBS ) in a preliminary , r and omized , sham/placebo-controlled trial . Twenty-nine men and women with IBS were r and omized to either  individualized Acu/Moxa (  treatment  group ) or sham/placebo Acu/Moxa ( control group ) . All subjects were assessed by a diagnostic acupuncturist for a TCM evaluation and individualized point prescription . Only those subjects assigned to the experimental group received the individually prescribed treatment . The diagnostic acupuncturist did not administer treatments and was blind to treatment assignments . All subjects kept a symptom diary for the duration of the study , enabling measurement of symptom frequency , severity , and improvement . The Clinical Global Impression Scale was administered preintervention to establish baseline severity and on completion of the 4-week , eight-session treatment intervention . After 4 weeks of twice-weekly Acu/Moxa treatment , average daily abdominal pain/discomfort improved whereas the control group showed minimal reduction . This between-group difference adjusted for baseline difference was statistically significant . The intestinal gas , bloating , and stool consistency composite score showed a similar pattern of improvement . The findings indicate that Acu/Moxa treatment shows promise in the area of symptom management for IBS Background In 1997 , the first Pain Management Unit , which was set up as part of primary health care within the And alusian Public Health System , offered acupuncture among other therapies . This observational study was conducted in preparation for a r and omised controlled trial . Methods We conducted a descriptive study of patients who had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee . The patients received weekly acupuncture treatment , and related techniques , from November 1997 to November 2000 . We recorded : socio-demographic data ; measures of effectiveness , including intensity and frequency of pain ; the daily dose of analgesic and anti-inflammatory medication ; the degree of incapacity ; and sleep disorders caused by pain in the knee . Results The 563 patients who presented were mainly female ( 88 % ) with an average age of 65 years ( ±10.7 ) ; the average age of the male patients was 67 years ( ±11.8 ) . The condition in most patients ( 95 % ) was chronic : 54 % had the condition for 5 - 10 years and a further 23 % for more than 10 years . Of the total , 85 ( 15 % ) ab and oned treatment and were excluded from the evaluation , while 75 % of the remainder achieved a reduction in pain of 45 % or more . This study is intended to form the basis for a subsequent controlled clinical trial of the effectiveness of acupuncture  as a treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee . Conclusion The degree of pain relief experienced by patients from acupuncture justifies a more rigorous study Background : Acupuncture has traditionally been used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in China and is increasingly being applied in Western countries . The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of active Crohn ’s disease ( CD ) . Methods : A prospect i ve , r and omized , controlled , single-blind clinical trial was carried out to analyze the change in the CD activity index ( CDAI ) after treatment as a main outcome measure , and the changes in quality of life and general well-being , serum markers of inflammation ( α1-acid glycoprotein , C-reactive protein ) as secondary outcome measures . 51 patients with mild to moderately active CD were treated in a single center for  complementary medicine  by three trained acupuncturists and r and omly assigned to receive either traditional acupuncture ( TCM group , n = 27 ) or control treatment at non-acupuncture points ( control group , n = 24 ) . Patients were treated in 10 sessions over a period of 4 weeks and followed up for 12 weeks . Results : In the TCM group the CDAI decreased from 250 ± 51 to 163 ± 56 points as compared with a mean decrease from 220 ± 42 to 181 ± 46 points in the control group ( TCM vs. control group : p = 0.003 ) . In both groups these changes were associated with improvements in general well-being and quality of life . With regard to general well-being  , traditional acupuncture was superior to control treatment ( p = 0.045 ) . α1-acid glycoprotein concentration fell significantly only in the TCM group ( p = 0.046 ) . Conclusions : Apart from a marked placebo effect , traditional acupuncture offers an additional therapeutic benefit in patients with mild to moderately active CD OBJECTIVE To search for the best method for treatment of hyperemesis gravidarum . METHODS One hundred and fifty cases of hyperemesis gravidarum were r and omly divided into 3 groups , acup-moxibustion group , Chinese drug group and Western medicine group , 50 cases in each group . The acup-moxibustion group were treated with acupuncture at Zhongwan ( CV 12 ) , Neiguan ( PC 6 ) , Zusanli ( ST 36 ) and Yinlingquan ( SP 9 ) , and after arrival of qi , mild warming moxibustion of 10 - 15 min was added ; the Chinese drug group with oral administration of modified Suye Huanglian Decoction , and the Western medicine group with oral administration of phenobarbital and supplement of water and electrolyte . RESULTS The total effective rate was 86.0 % in the acup-moxibustion group , 42.0 % in the Chinese drug group and 38.0 % in the Western medicine group with a significant difference among the 3 groups ( P < 0.05 ) , the therapeutic effect in the acup-moxibustion group being the best . CONCLUSION Acup-moxibustion is the best method for hyperemesis gravidarum Many Japanese reports of acupuncture and moxibustion for chronic pain are not listed in medical data bases such as Medline . Therefore , they are not easily accessible to research ers outside of Japan . To complement existing review s of acupuncture and moxibustion for chronic pain and to provide more detailed discussion and analysis , we did a literature search using ‘ Igaku Chuo Zasshi We d ’ ( Japana Centra Revuo Medicina ) and ‘ Citation Information by National Institute of Information ’ covering the period 1978–2006 . Original articles and case reports of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of chronic pain were included . Animal studies , surveys , and news articles were excluded . Two independent review ers extracted data from located articles in a pre-defined structured way , and assessed the likelihood of causality in each case . We located 57 papers written in Japanese ( 20 full papers , 37 case reports ) . Conditions examined were headache ( 12 trials ) , chronic low back pain ( 9 trials ) , rheumatoid arthritis ( 8 trials ) , temporom and ibular dysfunction ( 8 trials ) , katakori ( 8 trials ) and others ( 12 trials ) . While 23 were described as clinical control trials ( CCTs ) , 11 employed a quasi-r and om method . Applying the 5-point Jadad quality assessment scoring system , the mean score was 1.5 ± 1.3 ( SD ) . Eleven ( 52 % ) of the CCTs were conducted to determine a more effective procedure for acupuncture ; these compared a certain type of acupuncture with another type of acupuncture or specific additional points . In particular , the trigger point acupuncture was widely used to treat chronic low back pain in Japan . Many reports of chronic pain treatment by acupuncture and moxibustion are listed in Japanese data bases . From the data , we conclude that there is limited evidence that acupuncture is more effective than no treatment , and inconclusive evidence that trigger point acupuncture is more effective than placebo , sham acupuncture or st and ard care Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the difference of efficacy between conventional moxibustion ( CM ) and smoke-free moxibustion ( SM ) for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee ( KOA ) . Methods This is a multicentre , r and omized , single blinded , parallel-group clinical trial . Patients with KOA were r and omly allocated to CM group ( 69 ) and SM group ( 69 ) in 7 hospitals of China .  Moxibustion treatment in 12 sessions over 4 weeks was administrated at 3 acupuncture points ( EX-LE4 , ST35 , and ST36 ) . Patients completed st and ard question naires at baseline and after 2 weeks , 4 weeks , 8 weeks , and 12 weeks . The primary outcome was the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index ( WOMAC ) from the baseline to 4 weeks . The secondary outcomes include Visual Analogue Scale ( VAS ) and Patient Global Assessment score ( PGA ) . Results Analyses showed that the WOMAC score improved in pain ( 95 % CI,-0.1[-1.2 to 0.9 ] , p=0.76 ) , stiffness ( 95 % CI,-0.1 [ -0.5 to 0.3 ] , p=0.71 ) , and function ( 95 % CI , 2.2 [ -1.3 to 5.8 ] , p=0.22 ) compared between the two groups at 4 weeks , as well as the VAS score ( 95 % CI,0.1 [ -0.3 to 0.6 ] , p=0.60 ) . Similar results presented at 8 and 12 weeks . No statistically significant difference was observed between CM and SM groups for outcome measurements . Conclusions It suggested that smoke generated during moxibustion treatment does not affect the efficacy of moxibustion in the treatment of KOA , which should be taken into account to be removed for the sake of reducing environmental pollution or moxa smoke exposure of acupuncturists or patients . This trial is registered with Clinical Trials.gov , NCT02772055 Background Though moxibustion is frequently used to treat primary dysmenorrhea in China , relevant evidence supporting its effectiveness is still scanty . Methods This study was a pragmatic r and omized , conventional drug controlled , open-labeled clinical trial . After initial screen , 152 eligible participants were averagely r and omized to receive two different treatment strategies : Moxibustion and conventional drugs . Participants and practitioners were not blinded in this study . The duration of each treatment was 3 months . The primary outcome was pain relief measured by the Visual Analogue Scale . The menstrual pain severity was recorded in a menstrual pain diary . Results 152 eligible patients were included but only 133 of them eventually completed the whole treatment course . The results showed that the menstrual pain intensity in experimental group and control group was reduced from 6.38±1.28 and 6.41±1.29 , respectively , at baseline , to 2.54±1.41 and 2.47±1.29 after treatment . The pain reduction was not significantly different between these two groups ( P = 0.76 ) , however ; the pain intensity was significantly reduced relative to baseline for each group ( P<0.01 ) . Three months after treatment , the effectiveness of moxibustion sustained and started to be superior to the drug ’s effect ( -0.87 , 95%CI -1.32 to -0.42 , P<0.01 ) . Secondary outcome analyses showed that moxibustion  was as effective as drugs in alleviating menstrual pain-related symptoms . The serum levels of pain mediators , such as PGF2α , OT , vWF , β-EP , PGE2 , were significantly improved after treatment in both groups ( P<0.05 ) . No adverse events were reported in this trial . Conclusions Both moxibustion and conventional drug showed desirable merits in managing menstrual pain , given their treatment effects and economic costs . This study as a pragmatic trial only demonstrates the effectiveness , not the efficacy , of moxibustion for menstrual pain . It ca n’t rule out the effect of psychological factors during treatment process , because no blind procedure or sham control was used due to availability . In clinical practice , moxibustion should be used at the discretion of patients and their physicians . Trial registration ClinialTrials.gov OBJECTIVE To assess the short-term and long-term therapeutic effect of warming needle moxibustion for treatment of  knee osteoarthritis .  METHODS Ninety cases were r and omly divided into a warming needle moxibustion group , a western medicine group and a waiting group , 30 cases in each group . The warming needle moxibustion group was treated with warming needle moxibustion on Xuehai ( SP 10 ) , Dubi ( ST 35 ) and Zusanli ( ST 36 ) , etc . ; the western medicine group was treated with oral administration of Ibuprofen sustained release capsule ; the waiting group did not receive any treatment . Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index ( WOMAC ) and Chinese version of SF-16 were used to assess the therapeutic effect before treatment , after treatment and 10 weeks after treatment . RESULTS After treatment for 2 weeks , the total effective rate was 86.7 % in the warming needle moxibustion group , 90.0 % in the western medicine group , and 60.0 % in the waiting group , both the warming needle moxibustion group and the western medicine group being significantly better than the waiting group ( both P<0.05 ) and with no significant difference between the warming needle moxibustion group and the western medicine group ( P>0.05 ) ; 10 weeks after treatment , the total effective rate of 83.3 % in the warming needle moxibustion group was better than that of 60.0 % in the western medicine group ( P<0.05 ) . There were no significant differences in comparison of WOMAC and SF-16 scores after treatment between the warming needle moxibustion group and the western medicine group , and the warming needle moxibustion group in improvement of these scores was superior to the western medicine group ( P<0.01 , P<0.05 ) . CONCLUSION The therapy of warming needle moxibustion is effective for treatment of knee osteoarthritis , and the short-term therapeutic effect is same as that of oral administration of Ibuprofen and the long-term therapeutic effect is better than that of Ibuprofen Introduction Ginger-salt-indirect moxibustion is widely applied to treat urge urinary incontinence after stroke , which is a common complication in stroke survivors . Moxa cone moxibustion and moxa box moxibustion are the main techniques of ginger-salt-indirect moxibustion . Our previous study had shown that ginger-salt-indirect moxibustion using moxa cones was feasible and effective for urination disorders post-stroke . This pilot study aims to assess the feasibility of conducting research to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ginger-salt-indirect moxibustion for patients with post-stroke urge urinary incontinence . Methods and analysis This is a multicentre , prospect i ve , single-blinded , pilot r and omised controlled trial . 120 eligible patients will be r and omly allocated to three groups . Treatment group A ( n=40 ) will receive moxa cone moxibustion and routine care ; treatment group B ( n=40 ) will receive moxa box moxibustion and routine care ; control group ( n=40 ) will only receive routine care for stroke recovery . The entire moxibustion treatment will consist of a total of 28 sessions during the course of 4 weeks . The primary outcome measure will be the increase in mean volume per void assessed at week 4 from the first moxibustion session ( baseline ) . Secondary outcome measures will include mean frequency of urination per day and quality of life assessment s measured by completion of the Incontinence Quality of Life Question naire and Barthel Index . All outcome measures will be assessed at baseline and at 4 and 16 weeks from baseline . Adverse events in the three groups will be recorded to assess the safety of moxibustion . Ethics and dissemination Research ethics was approved by the Research Ethical Committee of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to the Capital Medical University ( ref : 2013BL-094 ) . Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants . Study results will be published in peer review ed journals . Trial registration number IS RCT N 44706974
This systematic review fails to provide conclusive evidence for the effectiveness of moxibustion compared with drug therapy in rheumatic conditions .
Moxibustion , an acupuncture-like intervention , is increasingly used in the management of rheumatic conditions .
The aim of this review is to summarize and critically evaluate the trials testing effectiveness of moxibustion for major rheumatic conditions .