HERB-PARTITIONED MOXIBUSTION AND ACUPUNCTURE FOR THE TREATMENT OF ACTIVE CROHN'S DISEASE:A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Background: Acupuncture and moxibustion are often used as an alternative therapy for Crohn’s disease(CD), however, their efficacy are not fully established.Objective: This study sought to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion for the treatment of active CD of mild to moderate severity.Methods: Ninety-two patients were equally and randomly divided into a treatment group that received herb-partitioned moxibustion combined with acupuncture and a control group that received wheat bran-partitioned moxibustion combined with shallow acupuncture.The patients received 3 treatment sessions per week for 12 weeks, and were followed up at the 24 th week.The outcomes were measured by using the CD Activity Index(CDAI) score, lab tests, endoscopic rating, and intestinal histology.Results: The CDAI scores of both the treatment and control groups were significantly reduced after treatment compared to that prior to treatment, but the improvement of the treatment group was significant better than that of the control group.The symptom improvement in patients of the treatment group was sustained at the follow-up, while that of the control group was not.Both groups showed significantly improvement in quality of life ratings after treatments, but the improvement was significantly better in the treatment group than in the control group.In addition, the patients in the treatment group showed significantly increased hemoglobin and decreased C-reactive protein and histopathological scores at the end of the treatment, while the control group did not show any changes.Conclusion: Acupuncture and moxibustion are effective and safe treatment methods for mild to moderate CD.In addition to the placebo effect, acupuncture also has significant therapeutic effects.