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Intradermal needles better than drugs for constipation
Acupuncture using intradermal ‘thumbtack’ needles (TN) can lead to greater improvement in functional constipation (FC) symptoms than the prokinetic drug mosapride citrate (MC). A total of 482 patients with FC were randomly assigned to TN or MC (5 mg three times per day) by a Chinese research team. The primary acupoints used were Tianshu ST-25, Shangjuxu ST-37, Zusanli ST-36, Dachangshu BL-25 and Zhigou SJ-6. Additional acupoints were added according to specific syndrome diagnoses. Guanyuan REN-4 and Qihai REN-6 were used in patients diagnosed with cold syndromes, Quchi L.I.-11 and Zhaohai KID-6 were used in patients with heat syndromes, and Guanyuan REN-4 and Pishu BL-20 were selected in patients with qi deficiency. Thumbtack needles were applied twice per week and remained in place for three days. Patients were instructed to apply pressure to the needles three times a day, spending one minute at each point. The treatment period spanned four weeks, followed by a subsequent four-week follow-up period. Both the TN and MC groups showed meaningful improvements in complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBMs) at week 4 compared with baseline. At week 4, the TN group averaged 3.35 CSBMs, while the MC group averaged 3 CSBMs, but this difference between the groups was not large enough to be considered clinically important. Neither group showed meaningful changes from baseline at weeks 2 or 8.
(Effect of thumbtack needle on functional constipation: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Complement Ther Med. 2024 Sep:84:103069).
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