THE CLINICAL EFFECT OF ZIWULIUZHU

Li Zhi, Sheng Guangyu

(Bethune Medical University, Changchun)

Ziwuliuzhu is an acupuncture therapy which is characterised by choosing different acu-points on different days and at different times. It is a combined therapy that relates jointly to the heavenly stems, the earthly branches, yin yang, the five elements, the solid and hollow organs, the meridian and the five shu points.

We have, in order to evaluate the clinical effect of the therapy, selected four hundred cases from our outpatients. They were randomly selected and evenly divided, according to the date of the patient's first visit, into two groups - the observation group and the control group.

A. The principles for selecting subjects and the method of treatment:

(In both groups, among the cases of a certain disease)

1. The number of cases was about the same (the difference is within five);

2. Average process of disease was about the same;

3. Male cases and female cases were about the same in number for the two groups (male 100:119, female 100:81);

4. Average ages of the patients were about the same (42.46 years:44.91 years);

5. All the patients came to the doctor at about the same time;

6. The courses of treatment were about the same (treatments were limited to ten times, in some cases, less than ten times);

7. The basic prescriptions of a certain disease were the same;

8. The way of manipulating the needle was the same;

9. The standard for evaluating the effect of treatment was the same. In the observation group, the therapy of Ziwuliuzhu was adopted, while in the control

group, only the basic compatible acupoints were used. Then, a comparision was made to see the effect of each therapy.

B, The results of treatment:

1. When the process of treatment was limited, the two groups showed an obvious difference in the effect of treatment. (X-'=85.47 with C.P.D. method: w=10416, p<0.01).

2. In most cases of pain of the leg. Bell's palsy, hemiplegia etc., the difference showed by the two groups was also obvious p<0.01.

3. If the process of treatment was free from limitation the full recovery rate was 46% in the observation group (average times of treatment, 11.43) while that in the control group was only 18.5% (average times of treatment 27);

C. Tentative conclusion:

Clinically, Ziwuliuzhu therapy may achieve a swifter effect, shorten the process of treatment. Its general curative effect is higher than the ordinary acupuncture treatment.