title: [Clinical efficacy of pishen bingbu recipe in patients with sympathetic cervical spondylosis and its impact on heart rate variability].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the clinical effect of Pishen Bingbu Recipe (PBR) in treating patients with sympathetic cervical spondylosis (SCS) of qi-blood deficient syndrome type and its impact on heart rate variability (HRV).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty patients were randomized into the control group and the treatment group equally. Both were treated with mecobalamin, vitamin B1, neurotropin, and occipital - jaw band traction in the sitting posture, but to patients in the treatment group, PBR was given additionally. The course of treatment was 60 days. Therapeutic effect and changes of HRV indexes were observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After treatment, in the treatment group, 5 patients (20%) were clinically cured, treatment was markedly effective in 12 patients (48%), effective in 7 (28%) and ineffective in 1 (4%), while the corresponding data in the control group were 2 (8%), 4 (16%), 18 (72%) and 1 (4%) respectively, demonstrating the efficacy in the treatment group was superior to that in the control group (P <0.05). Before treatment, the HRV indexes in the two groups were insignificantly different respectively (P >0.05). But after treatment, difference between groups was observed in terms of either time domain or frequency domain. Those of time domain were: standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN, ms) 133.41 +/- 8.61 vs 115.61 +/- 13.49, average standard deviation of 5 min NN intervals (SDANN, ms) 126.90 +/- 9.99 vs 106.20 +/- 8.84, HRV trigonometric index (HRVTI) 35.10 +/- 4.48 vs 25.51 +/- 2.24; and those of frequency domain: low frequency (LF, ms2) 379.90 +/- 159.07 vs 477.70 +/- 396.91 high frequency (HF, ms2) 157.10 +/- 28.18 vs 122.10 +/- 101.90, and LF/HF ratio 2.37 +/- 0.52 vs 4.27 +/- 2.84. All were superior in the treatment group (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PBR shows evidently clinical efficacy on SCS, it can significantly improve the functional activities of sympathetic nerve in patients.
authors.affiliation: The Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Chinese People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin. cuipapa@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ming-Liang
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Xiang-Ling
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Jing-Gui
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055009:Spondylosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal