Moxibustion and Acupuncture for
Crohn’s Disease
A study was conducted to evaluate the clinical efficacy and
safety of acupuncture and moxibustion for the treatment of active Crohn's
disease (CD). Ninety-two patients were equally and randomly divided into the
treatment group and received herb-partitioned moxibustion combined with
acupuncture, and the control group received wheat bran-partitioned moxibustion
combined with superficial acupuncture. The patients received three treatment
sessions per week for 12 wk and were followed up for 24 wk. The main outcome
was evaluated using the CD Activity Index (CDAI) score, and the secondary
outcomes were evaluated using laboratory indicators such as hemoglobin (HGB),
C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, quality-of-life,
endoscopic ratings, and intestinal histology scores. The CDAI scores of both
the treatment and control groups were significantly reduced after treatment
compared with those measured before treatment. However, the degree of
improvement in the treatment group was significantly greater than that of the
control group. The improvement in symptoms in patients of the treatment group
was sustained at follow-up, whereas that of the control group was not. The
overall efficacy of the treatment was significantly greater than that of the control.
Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in quality-of-life ratings
after treatment, but the improvement was significantly greater in the treatment
group than in the control group. In addition, the patients in the treatment
group showed significantly increased HGB and significantly decreased CRP levels
and histopathological scores at the end of treatment, whereas the control group
did not exhibit significant changes. Moxibustion with acupuncture provided
significant therapeutic benefits in patients with active CD beyond the placebo
effect and is therefore an effective and safe treatment for active CD.
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