Clinical research on acupuncture and moxibustion treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis.

OBJECTIVE To observe the clinical therapeutic effects of acupuncture and moxibustion in treating chronic atrophic gastritis. METHODS Patients who met the criteria were randomly divided into the treatment groups consisting of the acupuncture group (30 cases) and the acupuncture-moxibustion group (30 cases), and the control group (28 cases). After two months of treatment, observed were safety and the curative effects, through general physical check ups, routine examinations of blood, urine and feces, and symptoms, pathology and gastrin before, during and after the treatment. RESULTS (1) The treatment groups showed significant superiorities in the improvement of symptoms, with the acupuncture-moxibustion group showing the best therapeutic effects. (2) The acupuncture-moxibustion group showed marked differences before and after the treatment in the improvement of glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia, with a total effective rate of 66.67%. (3) After the treatment, the three groups all showed marked improvement in the level of serum gastrin, with the acupuncture-moxibustion group showing the best effects. CONCLUSION Acupuncture and moxibustion have definite therapeutic effects for chronic atrophic gastritis, especially in improving the symptoms. Acupuncture or acupuncture combined with moxibustion can provide possibilities in reversing the pathologic changes of glandular atrophy and intestinal metaplasia for patients with chronic atrophic gastritis. Acupuncture-moxibustion is really an effective and safe therapy for chronic atrophic gastritis.