Experimental Study On Anti - Fatigue Effect Of Acupuncture Combined With Ginseng Decoction On Chronic Fatigue Model Rats

Purpose: To scientifically assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of fighting fatigue with the combination of acupuncture and aqueous extract of Ginseng, and to provide theoretical and experimental basis to the treatment effectiveness of fatigue in the clinical applications of the combination of acupuncture and herb. Materials and methods:40 rats are put into 5 groups, which are the blank control group, the model control group, the acupuncture group, the medicine group and the combination of acupuncture and herb group, with 8 rats in each. Except the blank control group, the rest of the 4 groups are put into the low temperature exhaustion swimming fatigue model. After 14 days, the rats in the acupuncture group were treated with the electro-acupuncture on the fatigue related shu-back points, namely the acupoint Xinshu, the pishu points and the shenshu point, according to the Acupuncture Point Map of the Experimental animals, published by the Experimental Acupuncture Research of the National Acupuncture and Moxibustion Societies. The rats in the medicine group were fed with aqueous extract of Ginseng in their stomachs, once a day. The rats in the combination of acupuncture and herb group were treated with both the electro-acupuncture and the aqueous extract of Ginseng. There is no treatment on the rats in the blank control group. The rats in the model control group were caught up with bare hands once a day with no treatments to ensure the consistence with the other groups. With one week’s intervention, after half an hour of the low temperature exhaustion swimming fatigue model for the last time, the rats were put into anesthesia with 10% chloral hydrate, and the abdominal venous blood, the liver and the muscle tissue were taken to examine the lactic acid(LA), the lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), the liver glycogen(LG), the muscle glycogen, the blood urea nitrogen(BUN) and ATP in each group to track and compare the changes of those indicators. Results: 1、The effect on the liver glycogen and muscle glycogen. There are obvious declines of these two indicators in the model control group and the blank control group(p﹤0.01), with statistical meanings. Compared with the model control group, there are obvious increases of the glycogens in the treatment groups, with statistical meanings(p﹤0.01). Within the treatment groups, the glycogens in the combination of acupuncture and herb group have the highest increase, showing the best treatment effect. 2、The effect on the lactic acid and the lactate dehydrogenase. There are increase of the blood lactic acid and decrease of the lactate dehydrogenase from the rats in the blank control group and the model control group(p﹤0.01), with statistical meanings. Compared with the model control group, the rats in the treatment groups have decreases in blood lactic acid at different levels, and obvious increase in lactate dehydrogenase. The most obvious change is with the combination of acupuncture and herb group. 3、The effect on ATP: There are obvious declines in the model control group and the blank control group(p﹤0.01), with statistical meanings. Compared with the model control group, there are different levels of ATP increase in the treatment groups. 4、The effect on the blood urea nitrogen: There are obvious increase of the blood urea nitrogen in the model control group and the blank control group(p﹤0.01), with statistical meanings. Compared with the model control group, there are different levels of decrease in the treatment groups. The most obvious decrease is with the combination of acupuncture and herb group. Conclusion: The combination of acupuncture on the shu-back points and the aqueous extract of Ginseng have good effect on anti-fatigue, which may be realized through strengthening the elimination of the metabolites and improving energy material content. Acupuncture and medicinal treatment has very obvious effect in fighting fatigue or delaying the fatigue from happening.