Acupuncture and Herbology Cure Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, Study Confirms.
A recent Chinese study found that the combination of Chinese herbology and acupuncture was extraordinarily effective in treating chronic or acute Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).
The group receiving acupuncture combined with herbal medicine had a 97.8% total effective rate. More lower abdominal acupoints. The herbal medicine only group had an 82.2% total effective rate. Only 1 patient in the acupuncture combined with herbal medicine group did not respond to treatment. In the herbal medicine only group, 8 patients did not respond to treatment. For the acupuncture combined with herbal medicine group, there was a 6.7% relapse rate. The herbal medicine only group had a 22.2% relapse rate. The researchers note that both groups showed significant improvements.
This study was a protocolized approach to care. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture point selections and herbal formula ingredients are customized per each patient’s individual differential diagnosis. In this study, a standardized set of acupoints and herbs were selected for all patients. The protocolized approach is often used to reduce variables in the investigation.