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Electrical moxibustion apparatus. a, twelve moxibustion devices in a charger; b, a powered-up moxibustion device; c: the bottom of the moxibustion device embedded with an electrically heating board
Source publication
Background
Cancer-related fatigue is one of the most common symptoms experienced by cancer patients, and it diminishes their quality of life. However, there is currently no confirmed standard treatment for cancer-related fatigue, and thus, many patients who suffer cancer-related fatigue seek complementary and alternative medicines such as moxibusti...
Citations
... Other studies indicated that photobiomodulation plays an active role in anti-inflammatory and analgesia [19,20]. In recent years, the Chinese regime has been greatly emphasizing on the integration of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) instruments with modern science and technology, and some novel moxibustion instruments have been developed to minimize the adverse effects of TM while maintaining its effectiveness [21][22][23][24]. However, the currently available instruments have two major problems: (1) the working temperature is much lower than the burning temperature of natural moxa pillars; and (2) the characteristics of moxibustion burning infrared spectrum have not yet compiled a unified standard, so none of these instruments can actualize a high simulation of the natural moxibustion emission spectrum and hindering the therapeutic effects. ...
... For the imitation moxibustion instruments on the market, the accurate simulation of TM cannot be achieved [48]. Some of them are different from traditional moxibustion in terms of shape, size and heating area [49], some simply simulate the thermal effect of moxibustion sticks, lack of discussion and application of other functional factors [21][22][23]. At the same time, due to the differences in moxibustion materials, amount, application methods, burning conditions and the performance of infrared spectroscopy instruments for measurement over the past years, it is difficult to form a unified standard for the characteristics of moxibustion infrared spectrum, let alone realize accurate simulation of it [24]. ...
Background
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is the most common chronic degenerative joint disease and places a substantial burden on the public health resources in China. The purpose of this study is to preliminarily evaluate whether infrared laser moxibustion (ILM) is non-inferior to traditional moxibustion (TM) in the treatment of KOA.
Materials and methods
In the designed Zelen-design randomized controlled non-inferiority clinical trial, a total of 74 patients with KOA will be randomly allocated to one of two interventions: ILM treatment or TM treatment. All participants will receive a 6-week treatment and a follow-up 4 weeks after treatment. The primary outcomes will be the mean change in pain scores on the numeric rating scale (NRS) measured at baseline and the end of last treatment at week 6. The secondary outcomes will be the pain scores on the NRS from weeks 1 to 5 after the start of treatment and the changes from baseline to endpoints (weeks 6 and 10) in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), SF-36, knee circumference, and 6-min walking test. In addition, safety assessment will be performed throughout the trial.
Conclusion
The results of our study will help determine whether a 6-week treatment with ILM is non-inferior to TM in patients with KOA, therefore providing evidence to verify if ILM can become a safer alternative for TM in clinical applications in the future.
Trial registration : Clinical Trial Registration Platform (ChiCTR2200065264); Pre-results. Registered on 1 November 2022.
... [19][20] Recently, The state attaches great importance to the close combination of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) instruments and modern science and technology, some novel moxibustion instruments have been developed to minimize the adverse effects of TM while maintaining its effectiveness. [21][22][23][24] But currently available instruments have two major problems: 1) the working temperature is much lower than the burning temperature of natural moxa pillars; and 2) The characteristics of moxibustion burning infrared spectrum have not yet formed a uni ed standard, so none of these instruments can realize the high simulation of natural moxibustion emission spectrum, which hinders the therapeutic effect of them. ...
... 45 Some of them are different from traditional moxibustion in terms of shape, size and heating area, 46 some simply simulate the thermal effect of moxibustion sticks, lack of discussion and application of other functional factors. [21][22][23] At the same time, due to the differences in moxibustion materials, amount, application methods, burning conditions and the performance of infrared spectroscopy instruments for measurement over the past years, it is di cult to form a uni ed standard for the characteristics of moxibustion infrared spectrum, let alone realize accurate simulation of it. 24 Therefore, making full use of modern sensing technology, arti cial intelligence, biophysics and other new technologies, infrared ceramics/graphene and other new materials, breaking through technical bottlenecks, and establishing a common key technology platform based on the principles of TCM diagnosis and treatment are the key breakthroughs in the current research and development of TCM medical devices. ...
Background
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA), which is the most common chronic degenerative joint disease, places substantial burden on public health resources in China. The purpose of this study is to preliminary evaluate whether infrared laser moxibustion (ILM) is non-inferior to traditional moxibustion (TM) in the treatment of KOA.
Methods
In the designed Zelen-design randomized controlled non-inferiority clinical trial, a total of 74 patients with KOA will be randomly allocated to one of two interventions: ILM treatment or TM treatment. All participants will receive a 6-week treatment and be followed-up for 4 weeks. The primary outcome will be the mean change in pain on the numeric rating scale (NRS). The secondary outcomes will be the pain on the NRS from weeks 1 to 5 after the start of treatment and the changes from baseline to endpoints (weeks 6 and 10) in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), SF-36, knee circumference, and 6-min walking test. In addition, safety assessment will be performed throughout the trial.
Discussion
The results of our study will help determine whether a 6-week treatment with ILM is non-inferior to TM in patients with KOA, therefore providing evidence for verifying if ILM can become a safer alternative for TM in clinical applications in the future.
Trial registration
Clinical Trial Registration Platform (ChiCTR2200065264); Pre-results. Registered on 1 November 2022.
... For example, a unique treatment of integrative medicine, moxibustion, can alleviate cancer-related fatigue while acupuncture mitigates chemotherapy-related nausea. 3,4 The general public is becoming more aware of the field of integrative oncology. According to a study of 434 lung cancer patients, 68.8% are aware of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and 30.9%have used it. ...
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and Korea is no exception. Humanity has been fighting cancer for many years, and as a result, we now have effective treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. However, there are other issues that we are only now beginning to address, such as cancer patients’ quality of life. Moreover, numerous studies show that addressing these issues holistically is critical for overall cancer treatment and survival rates. This paper describes how Korea is attempting to reduce cancer incidence and recurrence rates while also managing the quality of life of cancer patients. Integrative Oncology is the field that addresses these broad issues, and understanding the current state of integrative oncology in Korea is critical. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of the current state of integrative oncology in Korea as well as to look ahead to future developments.
... Detailed protocol for moxibustion has been published previously. 24 The participants in the UC group did not receive moxibustion treatment and maintained their usual treatment and self-care. Regardless of their allocated groups, all participants were provided a brochure on the management of CRF. ...
... Statistical analysis was done by an independent statistician blinded to group allocation as described previously. 24 Full analysis set (FAS) was used for the analysis, and the multiple imputation method was adopted for incomplete data sets. Using SAS® Version 9.4 (SAS institute. ...
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most common chronic symptoms experienced by cancer patients. As moxibustion is a popular traditional therapy for managing fatigue, it can be an alternative strategy to treat CRF as well. Therefore, we rigorously designed a full-scale, multicenter, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of moxibustion treatment for CRF. Ninety-six subjects suffering from CRF were recruited and randomly assigned to moxibustion group, sham moxibustion group, or usual care group. Both the moxibustion group and the sham group received moxibustion treatment for 8 weeks and the usual care group did not. Brief fatigue inventory (BFI) score and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Fatigue score were used to assess CRF at baseline and weeks 5, 9, and 13. Questionnaires for the assessment of cognitive impairment, quality of life, and Cold-Heat and Deficiency-Excess patterns were also evaluated. BFI scores significantly decreased in moxibustion group compared to the usual care group (mean difference of -1.92, p < 0.001 at week 9 and mean difference of -2.36, p < 0.001 at week 13). Although the sham group also showed significant improvement during the treatment period, only the moxibustion group showed improvement after 4 weeks of follow-up period (mean difference of -1.06, p < 0.001). There were no serious adverse events. Our findings confirmed the efficacy and safety of moxibustion for CRF compared to usual care. We also found that moxibustion has a prolonged treatment effect during 4 weeks of follow-up period.
... Moxibustion has been shown to have a good effect on treating tumour-related symptoms, such as fatigue, 3,4 pain, 5-7 anorexia 8 and depression, 9 and on alleviating surgery-and chemotherapy-induced adverse effects. 10 However, its antitumour effect on NSCLC remains largely unexplored. ...
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer‐related death worldwide, and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for 85% of lung cancer diagnoses. As an ancient therapy, moxibustion has been used to treat cancer‐related symptoms in clinical practice. However, its antitumour effect on NSCLC remains largely unexplored. In the present study, a Lewis lung cancer (LLC) xenograft tumour model was established, and grain‐sized moxibustion (gMoxi) was performed at the acupoint of Zusanli (ST36). Flow cytometry and RNA sequencing (RNA‐Seq) were used to access the immune cell phenotype, cytotoxicity and gene expression. PK136, propranolol and epinephrine were used for natural killer (NK) cell depletion, β‐adrenoceptor blockade and activation, respectively. Results showed that gMoxi significantly inhibited LLC tumour growth. Moreover, gMoxi significantly increased the proportion, infiltration and activation of NK cells, whereas it did not affect CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. NK cell depletion reversed gMoxi‐mediated tumour regression. LLC tumour RNA‐Seq indicated that these effects might be related to the inhibition of adrenergic signalling. Surely, β‐blocker propranolol clearly inhibited LLC tumour growth and promoted NK cells, and gMoxi no longer increased tumour regression and promoted NK cells after propranolol treatment. Epinephrine could inhibit NK cell activity, and gMoxi significantly inhibited tumour growth and promoted NK cells after epinephrine treatment. These results demonstrated that gMoxi could promote NK cell antitumour immunity by inhibiting adrenergic signalling, suggesting that gMoxi could be used as a promising therapeutic regimen for the treatment of NSCLC, and it had a great potential in NK cell–based cancer immunotherapy.
... Another randomized early phase trial including 66 female breast cancer survivors shows that weekly Swedish massage therapy produces clinically significant relief of cancer-related fatigue (Kinkead et al., 2018). Moreover, several clinical trials reveal that moxibustion therapy is an efficient supportive cancer care in relieving fatigue, nausea and vomiting (Lee et al., 2010,Kim et al., 2017. Here we mainly review the critical roles of TCM, including acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and Tai Chi in cancer therapy and relieving adverse symptoms. ...
Chronic stress is well-known to cause physiological distress that leads to body balance perturbations by altering signaling pathways in the neuroendocrine and sympathetic nervous systems. This increases allostatic load, which is the cost of physiological fluctuations that are required to cope with psychological challenges as well as changes in the physical environment. Recent studies have enriched our knowledge about the role of chronic stress in disease development, especially carcinogenesis. Stress stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), resulting in an abnormal release of hormones. These activate signaling pathways that elevate expression of downstream oncogenes. This occurs by activation of specific receptors that promote numerous cancer biological processes, including proliferation, genomic instability, angiogenesis, metastasis, immune evasion and metabolic disorders. Moreover, accumulating evidence has revealed that β-adrenergic receptor (ADRB) antagonists and downstream target inhibitors exhibit remarkable anti-tumor effects. Psychosomatic behavioral interventions (PBI) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) also effectively relieve the impact of stress in cancer patients. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the underlying mechanisms that are responsible for stress in promoting malignancies. Collectively, these data provide approaches for NextGen pharmacological therapies, PBI and TCM to reduce the burden of tumorigenesis.
... 14,15 To solve these problems, an electrical moxibustion (EM) device was developed, 16 but studies using this include measuring the thermal characteristics of the device, 17 or only retrospective study that introduces case of treatment. 18 The paper comparing EM with other treatment has introduced only protocol and results have not yet been reported, 19,20 and no research has been conducted using EM in KOA. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of EM for KOA by comparing it with traditional indirect moxibustion (TIM) and usual care. ...
Background
The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is increasing, and it has emerged as a major health issue. Studies have been reported that moxibustion is effective for treating KOA, but conventional moxibustion is difficult to control the intensity of stimulation and causes smoke, harmful gases, or odors. An electrical moxibustion (EM) device was developed to solve these problems, so we conducted this study to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of EM as a treatment for KOA.
Methods
This is a multicenter, randomized, assessor-blinded, parallel-group clinical trial. Participants with KOA were randomly allocated into EM, traditional indirect moxibustion (TIM), or usual care groups. The moxibustion groups were received 12 sessions of moxibustion treatment at six acupuncture points (ST36, ST35, ST34, SP9, EX-LE4, SP10) over a period of 6 weeks. The usual care group was received usual treatment and self-care. The primary outcome was the degree of pain measured by numerical rating scale (NRS). The second outcomes were measured using visual analog scale, Korean version of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index, patient global assessment, European quality of life five dimension five level scale, and warm sense threshold and heat pain threshold. For safety assessment, laboratory test and adverse events (AEs) were recorded.
Results
A total of 138 participants were assigned. While there was no significant NRS change in the usual care, EM and TIM showed significant decrease after treatment. Compared to the usual care, the mean change of NRS in the EM and TIM was significantly different, but there was no significance between two groups. Regarding secondary outcomes, EM and TIM also showed significant difference compared to the usual care, but there was no significance between two groups. Regarding safety assessment, while usual care showed significant safety among three groups, EM showed seven treatment-related AEs by four participants compared TIM’s 10 events by 10 participants. In addition, there was no blister caused by burns in the EM, which occurred four cases in the TIM.
Conclusion
This study shows that EM is effective to improve the pain and function by KOA with a certain level of safety.
... Detailed protocol for moxibustion has been published previously. 24 The participants in the UC group did not receive moxibustion treatment and maintained their usual treatment and self-care. Regardless of their allocated groups, all participants were provided a brochure on the management of CRF. ...
... Statistical analysis was done by an independent statistician blinded to group allocation as described previously. 24 Full analysis set (FAS) was used for the analysis, and the multiple imputation method was adopted for incomplete data sets. Using SAS® Version 9.4 (SAS institute. ...
... [19,20] These interventions include acupuncture, acupressure, massage, moxibustion, yoga, Qigong, Tai Chi, and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES). [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] Of those, NMES is one of the most potential management for decreasing cancer-related fatigue. However, no data is available to support that NMES can effectively manage this condition, especially specific in patients with ALC. ...
This study retrospectively investigated the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for fatigue management in patients with advanced laryngeal cancer (ALC) receiving chemoradiotherapy.
A total of 60 eligible patients with ALC receiving chemoradiotherapy were included. These patients were assigned equally to a treatment group and a control group. Patients in the treatment group received NMES therapy and were treated for a total of 8 weeks, while the patients in the control group did not receive NMES therapy. The primary outcome was fatigue, measured by the multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI). The secondary outcomes included anxiety and depression, measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and sleep quality, measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). All outcomes were evaluated before and after 8-week NMES treatment
After 8-week NMES treatment, the patients in the treatment group did not exert better effect than patients in the control group in fatigue relief, measured by the MFI score, anxiety and depression decrease, assessed by HADS, and sleep quality improvement, evaluated by PSQI.
The results of this study demonstrate that NMES may not benefit for fatigue relief in patients with ALC receiving chemoradiotherapy. Future studies should still focus on this topic and warrant these results.
... This data would suggest that the fatigue inducing exercise had very little effect on ground reaction force jump time. As the results from jump 1 baseline and jump 2 no treatment shows a slight decrease in time this would agree with the theory that fatigue can have a detrimental effect on performance [21]. There were significant differences discovered between the non-treatment and moxibustion treatment jump times (P=0.045). ...
