Acupuncture Sensation and Bell’s Palsy
Acupuncture
therapy emphasizes de qi (obtaining qi sensation) from the needling process is
critical. De qi is a sensation of soreness, tingling, fullness, aching, cool,
warmth and heaviness, and a radiating sensation at and around the acupoints
when needling is performed. Can de qi be justified for treating Bell’s palsy?
Does stronger stimulation have a better therapeutic effect? To answer these questions,
a prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial involving patients with Bell’s palsy was conducted in the Department of
Neurology, Key Laboratory of Neurological Diseases of Chinese Ministry of
Education, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and
Technology, Wuhan, China. 338 patients were randomly assigned to two groups:
the de qi group (167 patients) or control group (171 patients). The same
acupuncture prescription was applied to both groups. In the de qi group, the
needles were manipulated manually until qi sensation was obtained, while in the
control group, the needles were inserted without any manipulation. All patients
received prednisone as a basic treatment. The primary assessed outcome was
facial nerve function at month 6. The results showed that after 6 months,
patients in the de qi group had better facial function (adjusted odds ratio
[OR] 4.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.23-7.78), better disability
assessment (differences of least squares means 9.80, 95% CI 6.29-13.30) and
better quality of life (differences of least squares means 29.86, 95% CI
22.33-37.38). Logistic regression analysis showed a positive effect of the de
qi score on facial-nerve function (adjusted OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.04-1.09). The
study concluded that among patients with Bell palsy,
acupuncture with strong stimulation that elicited
de qi had a greater therapeutic effect, and stronger intensity of de qi was
associated with the better therapeutic effects.
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