title: Comparison of Body, Auricular, and Abdominal Acupuncture Treatments for Insomnia Differentiated as Internal Harassment of Phlegm-Heat Syndrome: An Orthogonal Design.
abstract: Objective. To identify the optimum treatment protocol for insomnia among auricular, body, and abdominal needling methods. Methods. A three-factor (3 needling protocols) and three-level experimental scheme was designed based on orthogonal method. 54 patients of insomnia differentiated as internal harassment of phlegm-heat syndrome were given two courses of acupuncture treatment (each with 20 times of acupuncture). The therapeutic effects were evaluated by comparing the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) scores, and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) scores of patients before treatment, after one course of treatment, and after two courses of treatment as well as one month after treatment. Results. Body, auricular, and abdominal acupuncture treatments all alleviated symptoms of insomnia, depression, and anxiety, but body and auricular acupuncture had stronger therapeutic effects. Conclusions. Body acupuncture at basic points shall be given priority in protocol selection for insomnia. The second-best choice is auricular acupuncture with basic points combined with points based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theories. Abdominal needling with very quick effect can be an alternative protocol with basic points combined with syndrome differentiation points.
authors.affiliation: Institution of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.affiliation: Institution of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Institution of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institution of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Gong
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Institution of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Zhao-Hui
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institution of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Na
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Institution of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Cao
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Institution of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Zhong-Chao
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Institution of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Institution of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Shao-Yuan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: TCM Hospital of Mentougou District, Beijing 102300, China.
authors.forename: Fan-Ying
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361000, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Wei
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Xu