abstracted & translated by
Honora Lee Wolfe, Lic. Ac., FNAAOM (USA)

Keywords: Chinese medicine, acupuncture, cupping, dermatology, psoriasis

On page 64 of issue #4, 2004 of Hei Long Jiang Zhong Yi Yao (Heilongjiang Chinese Medicine & Medicinals), Niu Shi-yu, of the Heilongjiang Chinese Medical University), published an article titled, "A Clinical Audit of the Treatment of 42 Cases of Psoriasis with Acupuncture & Cupping." A summary of this study is presented below.

Cohort description:

There were 16 males and 26 females 18-47 years old included in this study. The shortest duration of psoriasis was three months and the longest was 15 years. No other information about these patients was given.

Treatment method:

A. Acupuncture

If the lesions were on the upper extremities or head region, the main points were Zhi Gou (TB 6), Qu Chi (LI 11), and He Gu (LI 4), while the auxiliary points were Xue Hai (Sp 10) and San Yin Jiao (Sp 6). If the lesions were mainly on the head, the auxiliary points were Ying Xiang (LI 20) and Su Liao (GV 25).

If the lesions were on the lower extremities, the main points were Xue Hai (Sp 10), San Yin Jiao (Sp 6), and Zu San Li (St 36), and the auxiliary points were Zhi Gou (TB 6) and Qu Chi (LI 11).

If the lesions affected the entire body, the main points were Da Zhui (GV 14), Qu Chi (LI 11), He Gu (LI 4), Xue Hai (Sp 10), and San Yin Jiao (Sp 6).

After insertion of the needles and obtaining of the qi, the needles were retained for a half hour. During this time, each needle was stimulated 1-2 times. This was done once per day, with 20 days equaling one course of treatment.

B. Cupping

The main points consisted of: Da Zhui (GV 14), Tao Dao (GV 13), Shen Zhu (GV 12), and Ling Tai (GV 10). Other auxiliary points were chosen depending on the patient’s condition. These points were bled with a three-edged needle. Then fire cupping was done over each. These cups were retained for 30 minutes. It is assumed that this cupping was done at the same frequency as the needling. However, this was not stated.

During the course of treatment, patients were also forbidden to eat oily, fried foods, acrid, peppery foods, or seafood. Instead, they were encouraged to eat lots of fruits and fresh vegetables and to drink lots of water.

Study outcomes:

Cure was defined as complete disappearance of all lesions. Marked effect was defined as sloughing of the damaged skin and marked decrease in itching of the affected areas. No effect meant that there was no improvement. The following table shows these outcomes.

Typically, after 3-4 treatments, the skin lesions began to slough in the damaged areas and the itching disappeared.

Copyright © Blue Poppy Press, 2005. All rights reserved.

For more information on the Chinese medical treatment of psoriasis, see Liang Jian-hui’s A Handbook of Traditional Chinese Dermatology available from Blue Poppy Press.