Fire Needle Bloodletting Therapy To Treat Lower Extremity Varicose Veins Clinical Observation

Varicose Vein of Lower Extremities (VVLE), as one of the most frequently encountered disease in vascular surgery which is known by modern mainstream scholars as common manifestation of series of disease, falls into the same category of Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) as PDVI and DVT. Etiology and pathogenesis on VVLE is still undefined up to date, while traditional views considering it closely concern with vein valve weakness, valve defects and increase of venous pressure. Latest study of its mechanism focus mainly, however, on cellular infiltration, apoptosis and transformation of hormones. Fortunately, a concensus is reached by western doctors on the classification and diagnosis criteria of VVLE even if a convincing treatment method of this disease both to Chinese and western scholars has not yet to come. As for the evaluation of therapeupic effect of VVLE, American Venous Forum (AVF) put forward a scale in1999named VCSS(venous clinical severity scoring) to measure the improvement of severity of VVLE and a questionaire shortlly after to judge the amelioration of quality of life by patients themselves which are currently accepted by most clinical doctors.VVLE is categorized as " Jin Liu"-a nodular varicosity first considered by Chinese old scholars as close intimation with tendons-In TCM differenciation system whose name oringinates from the inner canon of the yellow emperor (NeiJing). After centuries of exploration and sum-up by old and mordern clinical doctors, Its TCM pathogenesis is now considered intimate relationship with liver and spleen as liver dominates divergence of vital energy and spleen leads transformation and transportation of body fluids, and such pathogenical products as phlegm, blood-stasis, dampness, fire-stagnation srike together in the lower limbs, causing Qi movement disturbance and Qi-blood imbalance. As far as TCM treatment of VVLE, internal and external treatment by Chinese herbs is frequently reported recently and TCM practitioners often lay their emphasis on different syndroms of it. Compared with other treatment including Chinese herbal medicine, Acupuncture has its own advantage. Consulting medical treatise of recent20years, we find that total therapeutic effect of VVLE often reachs80%above. and together with it many complications of VVLE such as venous edema, pigment diposition and venous ulcer can be got rid of or improved to an extent. At the same time, Acupunture has edge over modern treatment in improving mental state of patients such as sleeping status, fatigueness and social sense of identity. Comparing with Chinese herbs, Acupuncture has less side-effects because it avoids to burden visceras especially liver and kidney. Contrasting modern surgery. Acupuncture is more simply operated and price moderate. And most important, it causes far less pain than other therapies and thus suitable for promotion.As two branches of Acupuncture, fire-needle therapy and blood-letting therapy is safe and sound in their clinical curative effects. Unfortunately, for some perticular reasons, they both lag behind the development of another branch of Acupuncture-filiform-needle therapy. By applying the synthetical method which combine fire-needle therapy and blood-letting therapy with filiform-needle therapy to treat VVLE, we found that the therapeutic effect turned out to be satisfactory. In addition, my tutor, Pro.Wang who devoted herself to Acupuncture career for37years, has her own original experience in treating VVLE with such synthetical method. For the reasons mentioned above, this treatise aims first to draw due attention of acupuncture fellows to fire-needle therapy and blood-letting therapy by tracing ancient classics from the times of Huangdineijing to modern times and to apply such synthetical method to clinics by probing into the experience ofPro. Wang.Objective:To research the therapeutic effect and safety of treatment of VVLE by synthetical method combining fire-needle therapy, blood-letting therapy and filiform-needle therapy.Method:A self-control research is designed by screening patients from Guanganmen Hospital and its second clinic into the group. After a detailed interogation is made, patients in the group all receive acupuncture therapy. A whole course of treatment cost two months and the frequency is once a week. We order the patient to fill in the VCSS questionaire and CIVIQ three times-before treatment, one month later (four times’ treatment) and one month after the whole course is over. The evaluation of total therapeutic effective rate is calculated by Nimodipine method which is composed of TCM manifestation of VVLE and therapeutic index by VCSS scale. We use SPSS17.0statistical software to analyze all datas appear in the subject.Result:After two months’treatment, total therapeutic effective rate turns to be91.43%, while venous clinical severity scoring, CIVIQ scale and result of color doppler ultrasound all show marked statistical significance (p<0.05), safly index shows no statistical significance (p>0.05) contrasting the result before treatment.Conclusion:This synthetical method combining three Acupuncture manipulations can truly improve severity of VVLE patients and quality of life levels, and thus worth promotion in the clinic.