EFFECT OF MOXIBUSTION ON THE IMMUNE FUNCTION IN THE HUMAN BODY

Gui Jinshui, Yan Hua, Xu Minghai

(Shanghai Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian, Shanghai)

In order to observe the effect of moxibustion on the immune function in the human body, the methods of direct or indirect moxibustion were adopted in the treatment of 49 cases with asthma and 21 cases with scleroderma, and the immune functions of cell and liquid were also observed.

For the cases with asthma purulent moxibustion was used. The immune function before moxibustion treatment was compared with that of two months later.

In the immune function of cell, the rates (with average value as ±SD) of lymphocyte transformation before and after moxibustion were 62 19+11.05 and 65.69±6.14 respectively, (P<0.05). Especially the immune function of cell in the 11 cases whose value of lymphocyte transformation rate before moxibustion was under normal range (51.72±4.86) was markedly increased two months after the treatment (63.0+4.94), P<0.01. The rates of the rosette formed before and after moxibustion were 54.30+9.34 and 58.80+7.43 respectively, P<0.05,

In the immune function of liquid, those cases whose immune function of liquid was above or below normal value changed in different degrees after treatment. For example, in 5 case JgG varied from 762±107 before moxibustion to 113±377 (after it), P<0.05; in 4 cases IgA varied from 80.5±18 to 133.5+52, P<0.001; in 25 cases IgM varied from 222,2 ±26 to 187.1±61, P<0.02; and in 23 cases Cg varied from 80.9±8 to 101.4±18, P<0.001.

21 case of scleroderma were all treated by indirect moxibustion with intercalary drug-cake. They were given treatment continously for two and half a months. The rates of lymphocyte transformation before and after moxibustion were 5.3±0.6 and 11.7±13 respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.01).

The above results suggest that each of various moxibustion treatments shows its effects in different degrees on the immune function in the human body, especially for those cases with abnormal values. The value above normal range was decreased, and that below was increased. So the treatments with moxibustion possess dual regulatory functions,