An analysis of the therapeutic effect of acupuncture treatment in 500 cases of schizophrenia
Shi, Z.X.; Tan, M.Z.
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 6(2): 99-104
1986
ISSN/ISBN: 0255-2922 PMID: 3773564 Document Number: 282457
1. 500 schizophrenia patients were treated with acupuncture in our OPD with the following results: Cure 55.0% (275 cases); remarkable improvement 16.8% (84 cases); improvement 16.6% (83 cases); no effect 11.6% (58 cases). The total effective rate was 88.4% (442 cases). Cure and remarkable improvement rate was 71.8% (359 cases). 2. According to TCM differentiation the patients were grouped as of three types (maniac, depressive, and paranoid). Acupuncture was administered through selected points. The maniac type was generally considered as Yang and treated with acumpuncture at points mainly on the Du channel. The manipulation was reducing. Most of the depressive type was Yin and was treated with acupuncture on points along the Ren channel. The manipulation was restoration. Paranoia was treated mainly by invigorating the spleen and warming the gallbladder. Manipulation was also restoration. As the changes in symptoms were noted in the patient, the points or channels were adjusted accordingly. Psychotherapy accompanied the acupuncture treatment. Small doses of sedatives were given in some cases to boost the treatment. Statistically, no apparent relationship was found between sex, age, frequency of attacks, differentiation grouping and typing in the Western medicine system, and the therapeutic effect. Patients with a single attack were not helped more than patients with frequent attacks. The prognosis for young patients under 15 was similar to that for those over 45. Our results did not tally with the traditional concept that acupuncture treatment in the simple type of schizophrenia was less hopefull than for the other types. This discrepancy required further investigation. Better therapeutic results were observed in patients with the shorter course of less than one year and those with sudden or relatively sudden onset of the disease, or vice versa. It is worthy of note that 9 of our patients with a course of over ten years responded excellently to the therapy. Of the 275 cured patients, 194 were followed up, revealing 65 recurrent cases, a rate of 32.5%, most of which occurred with 2 years following treatment.