THICK NEEDLE ACUPUNCTURE IN THE TREATMENT OF MALIGNANT BOILS FURUNCLES CARBUNCLES

Li Fufeng, Ma Xinting, Qian Bingru

(HeHongjiang College of TCM, Tulihe Forestry Hospital of Heilongfiang Province and The Hospital of Ha'erbin Woodenware Factory, Heilongjiang)

Since a decade we had established a treatment of malignant boils, furuncles and carbuncles of 2099 cases by thick needle acupuncture (Ma's traditional type of acupuncture). During the session of curing, there were no drug and other therapy used.

Main points: through Shendao to Zhiyang: accompanying points: Dazhui and Ming-men.

The skin was sterilized conventionally, and fixed by the upper edge of spine with left hand, and the needle was held with right hand to insert it subcutaneously by an angle of 30 degrees, and then put down the needle lying on the skin and manipulate its tip slowly to push along the midline of spine. The depth of insertion for main points was 55 mm and for accompanying points 40 mm. The needle should run parallel to the medium of the spinal column and be careful of any deflection. Generally, the retention of needle was 1-6 hours, however, for long course of disease it needed three hours, while for the short course was about six hours. The needling performed was once a day and ten times a course. Accompanying with main points, Dazhui point was applied for the strong patient with short course of disease, and point Mingmen was employed for the weak patient with long course of disease.

Cure index: clinical symptoms disappeared and the white blood cell count became normal.

In the treatment of 2099 cases, there were 2017 patients cured (cure rate 96%) and 82 cases were ineffective (ineffective rate 4%). Among them, 193 cases were cured by one needling and 736 cases by three needling.

By examining the count of white cells, the result revealed that the number of white cell significantly decreased in 98 cases of malignant boils, 79 cases of furuncles and 21 cases of carbuncles.

By virtue of the random sampling, a comparative test was performed between thick-needle acupuncture and antibiotics therapy. The doses of drugs used were 800,000 unites for penicillin and 0-5 grams for streptomycin, twice a day individually, accompanying with 0.5 grams of tetracycline by oral, once every six hours. The test showed that average days of the antibiotics therapy groups needed for curing malignant boils, furuncles and carbuncles were nine, twelve and eighteen, while average days of the thick needle acupuncture groups needed for curing malignant boils, furuncles and carbuncles were five, nine and thirteen respectively, Above all, it has proved that the curative effect of thick needle acupuncture is better than antibiotics therapy.

The therapeutical mechanism of the thick needle acupuncture was also to be discussed by virtue of the principle of the traditional Chinese medicine.