MOXIBUSTION TREATMENT OF ULCERATIVE COLITIS

Liang Cuiying, Yue Yi

(Department of Acupuncture, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou)

Preliminary encouraging therapeutic effects have been achieved by us through the observation of 50 cases of acute and chronic ulcerative colitis with moxibustion coupled with chiropractic and cupping therapy.

Methods

A. Moxibustion

Routine disinfection of the exposed abdominal area while the patient was lying supine. Place the moxa box containing 4-5 segments of burning moxa rod of 1-3 inches each from Zhongwan and Tianshu to the Guanyuan point. The box was almost closed, leaving only a 1-2 cm opening and the box proper was tightly surrounded on all sides by towels. The temperature of the site of moxibustion gradually increased to such a degree as the patient could tolerate. Thirty minutes later, the temperature was decreasing, and at 40 minutes it was the end of one moxibustion. This was done once or twice a day. Ventral and dorsal moxibustions had carried out alternatively. A treatment course lasted 15-20 times. For dorsal treatment, points were: Pishu, Weishu, Dachangshu, etc. For the head and extremities other points were selected. Moxibustion box had 3 sizes (large, medium, and small) to be selected according to the points chosen.

B. Chiropractic points (spine pinching)

(a) Classification of the 5 lines used:

Dazhui to Changqiang Dazhu to Baihuanshu on the left side Dazhu to Baihuanshu on the right side Fufen to Zhibian on the left side Fufen to Zhibian on the right side

(b) How to pinch - With patient in prone position, the practitioner pinched his skin concerned with two index fingers and two thumbs, with the ventral side of the working fingers facing each other. Skin pinching was began from Changqiang, pulling gradually as far as Dazhui. The practice was repeated like this for 3-5 times. Whenever the pinching reached Yaoshu, Shenshu and Pishu, the muscular skin was raised for a few times. Manipulation on the other 4 lines was done in the same way.

EVALUATION OF THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS

A. Basic cure

Clinical symptoms disappeared. Stool microscopic findings were normal. Sigmoidoscopy showed normal recovery of mucous lesions or showed some scars left.

B. Marked improvement

Clinical symptoms basically disappeared. Microscopic stool findings were normal. Slightly inflammatory changes might be shown during barium meal or under sigmoidoscopy.

C. Improvement

Clinical symptoms had markedly been relieved. There was slight relief in lesions upon sigmoidoscopy or during barium meal.

D. No effect

Clinical symptoms, sigmoidoscopy or barium meal all showed no changes in lesions.

ANALYSIS OF THERAEUT1C EFFECTS

Of the 50 cases treated, 37 cases (74%) were basically cured, 10 cases had marked improvement (accounting for 20%), 2 cases had improvement (40%), and one case had no effect at all (2%). The rate of efficacy was 98%.

The shortest was 35 days (5 cases), the longest being 109 days (1 case). Of the 30 follow-up cases, 28 had their therapeutic effects consolidated after 3 years with the remaining 2 cases having relapses.

Acute and chronic ulcerative colitis fall into the categories of chronic dysentery, intestinal hemorrhage and visceral toxicosis in traditional Chinese medicine. According to Shen Jiu Jing Lun (The Miraculous Moxibustion Canon), moxibustion derives its heat from fire which is hot in nature, quick in action on the point, soft in contour but hard in effectiveness. Thus it may eliminate obstacles such as nebular opacities and proceed smoothly to the internal organs in the human body because of the aromatic smelling of moxa, a burning pinch of which can pass the twelve meridians and enter the three Yins, so that moxibustion may regulate the vital energy and blood to cure various diseases with relative ease and marked efficacy.

When treating a patient with ulcerative colitis we regard his body as a whole to regulate Yin and Yang, strengthen his resistance and dispel the pathogenic factors. The symptoms of the disease lie in the large intestine while the essential cause is in the spleen, whose function is for transporting, distributing and transforming nutrients, and promoting water metabolism. With a dysfunction spleen, accumulation of dampness and heat results and descends into the large intestine. The deficiency of the Qi of the spleen can't keep the blood flowing within the vessels, which, as a result, causes the blood to extravasate and the dampness, heat and the meridian detaching blood to degenerate into purulent blood. Long duration of deficiency of the Qi of the spleen will necessarily give rise to the deficiency of the Qi of both spleen and kidney, so that the course of ulcerative colitis procrastinates without good cure. Therefore weakness of the spleen is the main cause of the evolution of ulcerous colitis. The guiding treatment principle is to tonify the spleen and consolidate the vital energy of the kidney.