Study On The Effect Of Drying And Moxibustion On The Local Temperature And Blood Circulation Of Yang Deficiency

[Objective]Observe the changes in surface temperature and cutaneous blood flow using infrared thermal imagery and laser speckle Doppler flowmetry to assess the effects of dry fire treatment therapy on patients averse to the cold. Using moxibustion as a control treatment method, initial investigations were undertaken into its mechanism pathway via analysis of body temperature and cutaneous vascular changes and trends.[Methods]Human subjects averse to the cold in their lower limbs were treated with dry fire treatment and moxibustion, one treatment method per leg. The dry fire treatment was a total of 90 seconds long, tapping along three lines on the inner, centerline and outer surfaces of the calf,10 were applied over these three areas, each line consisting of five taps, for a total of 50 taps. The time between taps was 0.9 seconds, and the time gap between every two lines was 10 seconds. Moxibustion was applied for 10 minutes using a moxa box with an average distance from the skin of 4.5cm. An infrared thermal imager was used for the first group of 12 subjects before and after treatment to assess surface temperature; a laser speckle Doppler flowmeter was used for the second group of 15 subjects to assess subcutaneous blood flow velocity. Both groups of subjects also filled out a VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) form to assess treatment effectiveness and their forehead temperature was recorded. The cumulative goal of these measurements was to uncover the initial steps of the mechanism of dry fire treatment in the relieving or curing of aversion of the cold.[Results]1 Results of the infrared imageryThe average calf temperature values for the second treatment of both the dry fire treatment group and the moxibustion group were lower than the first treatment. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups (P>0.05).A comparison between the average surface temperature at points BL55, BL57 and the entire calf at 6 min after the first treatment session showed that there were no significant differences between BL55 and the entire calf after fire treatment, but BL57 showed significant statistical differences. A comparison 6 min after the first moxibustion treatment showed significant differences between both points and the entire calf. For the second treatment, the fire treatment group showed no significant differences between both points and the entire calf 6 min after treatment, whereas the moxibustion group showed significant differences between both points and the entire calf.A comparison between the average surface temperatures of BL55 and BL57 immediately after treatment showed a significant difference in the first treatment of the fire treatment group (P<0.05) and no significant differences between the points in the moxibustion group. After the second treatment, both groups showed no statistical differences between the average surface temperatures of the two points (P>0.05).2 Laser speckle Doppler flowmetry resultsAlthough the comparison of subcutaneous blood flow velocity at BL56 for the 15 subjects before and after the two treatment methods had no statistically significant differences, it did show opposite trends for the two groups. The average subcutaneous blood flow velocity of the fire treatment group increased from 36.00 to 37.03BPUs; however, the moxibustion group showed a decrease from 37.20 to 36.20BPUs (P>0.05).For the two fire treatment sessions, the average subcutaneous blood flow velocity between 3 min and 6 min post-treatment time points at BL56 and the entire calf were 2.31,2.43,2.40,2.55BPUs, respectively. The average values for the moxibustion group over the two treatments were-3.62,-4.25,-4.00,-5.28BPUs, respectively. These four data points all show significant statistical differences from one another (P<0.05).3 VAS clinical effectiveness evaluation sheet resultsA percentage of the average VAS score for aversion to the cold before and directly after the first treatment for the fire treatment and moxibustion groups is 51.52% and 60.08%, respectively. Showing a decrease in aversion of cold by 48.48% in the fire treatment group and 39.92% in the moxibustion. The average scores before and immediately after the second treatment for the fire treatment and moxibustion groups was 43.53% and 38.07%, respectively, showing decreases in aversion of the cold by 56.47% and 61.93%, respectively. A percentage of the average VAS scores before the first and second fire treatments was 75.56% for the dry fire treatment group, and for the moxibustion group it was 79.85%. These data show that over the 48-hour period gap between the two treatment sessions, the fire treatment improved by an average of 34.44% and the moxibustion group improved by 30.15%.[Conclusion]1 Dry fire treatment intervention can increase subcutaneous blood flow velocity, indicating this to be one of the factors behind its ability to treat aversion to the cold.2 Dry fire treatment intervention can evenly heat entire surfaces that are aversion to the cold, and regulate skin temperature and subcutaneous blood flow on a more long-term basis, thus relieving or curing aversion to the cold; stimulating the body to self-regulate in this manner is a possible mechanism for its clinical effectiveness.3 In treating aversion to the cold, dry fire treatment and moxibustion can both lower skin temperature, and according to VAS evaluation data both are effective treatment methods. However, dry fire treatment can increase subcutaneous blood flow on a longer-term basis, it also requires less treatment time, less treatments to be effective and is more economical.