title: [Randomized controlled trials for treatment of 30 cases of ordinary psoriasis by acupuncture and moxibustion].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the therapeutic effect of acu-moxibustion for ordinary psoriasis, so as to find a better curative method for it.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 60 cases of psoriasis were equally randomized into medication group[(8. 67 - 6. 53) months in duration of disease, (39. 25+/- 10. 21) years in age] and acu-moxibustion group [(9. 16 7. 37) months in duration of disease, and (37. 38 +/- 11. 36) years in age] according to a random number table. For patients of acu-moxibustion group, main acupoints used were Feishu (BL13), Geshu (BL17), Ganshu (BL18), Pishu (BL 20) and Shenshu (BL 23), combined with other acupoints [Hegu (LI 4), Weizhong (BL 40), etc. ] according to the affected part of the body. Moxibustion was applied to Shenshu (BL 23) and the injured skin area for about 3 min every time. Acu-moxibustion treatment was given once every other day continuously for 12 weeks. Patients of the medication group were treated with oral administration of Acitretin capsules (20 mg/d, for 12 weeks). The therapeutic effect was evaluated by using psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) scoring method. Results After the treatment, the integrative scores of PASI in both medication and acu-moxibustion groups decreased significantly (P<0. 01), and that of the acu-moxibustion group was significantly lower than that of the medication group (P<0. 05). Of the both 30 psoriasis patients in the medication and acu-moxibustion groups, 1 (3. 33%) and 4 (13. 33%) were cured basically, 15 (50. 00%) and 17 (56. 67%) were improved significantly, 12 (40. 00%) and 6 (20. 00%) were effective, and 2 (6. 67%) and 3 (10. 00%) invalid, with the effective rates being 93. 33% and 90. 00%, respectively. The cured plus markedly effective rate of the acu-moxibustion group was significantly higher than that of the medication group (P<0. 05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acu-moxibustion therapy is effective in the treatment of psoriasis and is remarkably superior to that of medication.
authors.affiliation: Fangshan Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102400, China.
authors.forename: Jia-ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shi-zhe
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Gu
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009071:Moxibustion; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult