Abstract: Objective: To observe the improvement of symptoms and clinical observation of rheumatoid arthritis treated with Chinese herbal fumigation. METHODS: Eighty-five patients were randomly divided into fumigation treatment group and non-fumigation control group, both of which had non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. The fumigation treatment group was based on drug penetration, which is the use of steam produced by boiling the drugs to fumigate the muscle, using the effect of Chinese medicine drugs and physical warming to regulate the higher nerve centers and systemic physiological and pathological processes. Results: Compared with the non-fumigated group, the herbal fumigation group had better advantages in reducing joint swelling, pressure pain and the duration of morning stiffness than the non-fumigated group (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Conclusion: One of the therapies supplemented with herbal fumigation to regulate the higher nerve centers and systemic physiological and pathological processes to reduce the dose of medication or increase the efficacy to treat the disease. Huang Yuntai, Department of Rheumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis, Chinese medicine fumigation, drug penetration
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease with mainly joint lesions. It has been the focus of medical research for many years because of its high incidence and disability rate, which is a serious threat to human health [1]. Chinese medicine fumigation is a therapy that uses the steam produced by boiling drugs to fumigate the muscles for the purpose of treating diseases. It is especially effective for the treatment of rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and other diseases. The clinical research on the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis supplemented with Chinese medicine fumigation in recent years is reviewed as follows.
1 Data
In this study, 85 patients were randomly divided into “fumigation” treatment group (referred to as the treatment group) and “non-fumigation” control group (referred to as the control group), of which 50 patients were in the treatment group, 15 males and 35 females, aged (45.86±9.42) years; disease duration (59.07±6.28) months. In the control group, there were 35 cases, 10 males and 25 females, age (46.75±8.29) years, duration of disease (60.01±5.32) months, and the differences between the clinical and laboratory indicators of the two groups were not significantly different by statistical analysis (P>0.05) and were comparable.
1.2 Methods: Case selection criteria
1.3 Diagnostic criteria RA diagnostic criteria and disease activity criteria were based on the criteria revised by the American College of Rheumatology in 1987[2] .RA diagnostic criteria: (1) morning stiffness lasting ≥1 h for 6 or more consecutive weeks; (2) swelling of 3 or more joints for 6 or more consecutive weeks; (3) swelling of the wrist, metacarpophalangeal joint or proximal interphalangeal joint for 6 or more consecutive weeks; (4) symmetrical joint swelling for 6 or more consecutive weeks. (4) symmetrical arthritis for 6 weeks or more; (5) subcutaneous nodules; (6) hand X-ray changes; (7) positive rheumatoid factor (RF). The diagnosis was confirmed if the above four items were present at the same time.
1.4 Inclusion criteria (1) Inpatients with RA who meet the above diagnostic criteria.
1.5 Exclusion criteria (1) those who do not meet the above diagnostic criteria; (2) combined with other rheumatic diseases; (3) combined with serious diseases of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, hepatic and renal, hematopoietic system and psychiatric diseases; (4) those with high fever, tuberculosis, acute suppurative and infectious lesions and skin lesions; (5) those with advanced disease, severe deformation of joints, difficult to judge the efficacy of treatment; (6) those who cannot adhere to and cooperate with treatment. (6) those who cannot adhere to and cooperate with the treatment.
1.6 Methods Both groups were given NSAIDs and anti-rheumatic drugs orally, and the treatment group was given 15g of Chuan Cao Wu, 20g of Gui Zhi, 30g of Chuan Xiong, 15g of Safflower, 20g of Bonesetter, 20g of Lactobacillus, 30g of Gynostemma, 30g of Sequoia, 30g of Chuan Niu Knee, 6g of Clove. It is a kind of therapy to treat the disease by regulating the physiological and pathological processes of the higher nerve center and the whole body. It is a kind of therapy to achieve the purpose of treating diseases. Steam therapy can promote the body’s metabolism, drive away the evil without harming the righteousness, and is a good way to treat internal and external diseases, penetrate the surface from within, pass through the meridians and activate the collaterals, and sweat without harming the Ying and Wei. It is a powerful measure to enhance the body’s resistance to disease and restore dysfunction. Operation method: the drug is incorporated into the fumigation bed, heated to 49℃～52℃, the patient is instructed to expose the fumigation site, lie prone or supine to the fumigation hole for 30 minutes, fumigate once a day for 15 days as a course of treatment, fumigate until sweating, the patient is instructed to drink more water to avoid excessive loss of body fluids.
2 Results
The results of clinical observation indexes before and after treatment are shown in the following table. (±S)
Group
n
Joint swelling
index
Joint pressure pain
index
Morning stiffness time
(min)
VAS(cm)
HAQ
Treatment group
50
Before treatment
15.6±8.21
18.89±9.86
45.3±14.25
6.32±1.20
13.14±4.77
After treatment
7.3±3.90*
8.86±5.53*
29.2±16.16*
2.57±0.83**
4.85±2.97**
Control group
35
Before treatment
16.86±9.64
19.86±8.67
46.02±18.75
5.86±1.02
12.36±4.84
After treatment
11.44±5.52*
14.56±8.21*
32.12±18.65*
2.67±0.62**
6.79±2.35**
Compared with the pre-treatment group, *P<0.05,**P<0.01; compared with the difference of the control group, △P<0.05,△△P<0.01
Compared with the non-fumigation group, the Chinese medicine fumigation had better advantages in reducing joint swelling, pressure pain and morning stiffness, which was significantly better than the non-fumigation group.
3 Discussion
The characteristic symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are chronic inflammatory lesions of multiple peripheral joints with symmetrical nature, which are characterized by pain, swelling and decreased function of the affected joints. The disease has a global distribution, with a prevalence of 0.32-0.36% in China, and is one of the main causes of labor loss and disability in our population [3]. The disease belongs to the category of paralysis in Chinese medicine, “Dong bath” (S捎诒靜〉牟∫蛏胁磺宄壳傲俅采仙腥狈Ω渭霸し辣靜〉挠行Т胧D壳爸饕故歉莼莼颊叩闹闹闹闹床扇∠嘤Φ姆椒粗瘟啤39嬷瘟扑捎玫亩辔翘匾斓亩災瘟埔绶晴尤蹇尤寡滓唾洳榭∏狗缡吞瞧ぶ始に氐 [3]. These drugs have high toxic side effects, poor long-term efficacy, and are prone to recurrence. Therefore, it is one of the therapies supplemented with herbal fumigation to regulate the higher nerve centers and systemic physiological and pathological processes in order to reduce the dose of drugs taken or increase the efficacy to achieve the treatment of diseases.
Reference.
[1] Song YJ. Objective study on the identification of rheumatoid arthritis in Chinese medicine [J]. Chinese Traditional Medicine Science and Technology,2O07. 14(5):308-309.
[2]Arnett F C, Edworth S M, Bloch D A, et al. The American rheumatism association 1987 revised criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis [S]. .Arthritis Rheum,1988,31(3):315.
[3] Ye Rengao, Lu Zaiying. Internal medicine [M]. Sixth edition. Beijing: People’s Health Publishing House, 2004: 885-891.