Clinical Study of Acupoint Catgut-Embedding Therapy on Patients with Insomnia

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of acupoint catgut-embedding on patients with insomnia and to explore its mechanism. METHODS 70 cases were randomly divided into acupuncture group (35 cases) treated with acupuncture and catgut-embedding group (35 cases) treated with acupoint-catgut-embedding. Main points were Shenmen (HT7)， Sanyinjiao (SP6)， Baihui (DU20)， Anmian. Puncturing the points with filiform needle even reinforcing and even reducing in the acupuncture group， retaining the needle for 30min and stimulating the needle once every 10min， the treatment was given once a day， five times a week for 30 times totally. Catgut embedding needle and catgut were used at the points in catgut-embedding group， once 2 weeks for 3 times totally. Effect was evaluated by Pittsburgh sleep quality index scale (PSQI)， and serum cytokine Interleukin-1β (IL-1β)， Tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)were detected by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) before and after treatment. RESULTS After 6 weeks' treatment， the total effective was 74.28% in acupuncture group， and that in catgut-embedding group was 91.43% (P<0.05). Scores of the factors and total scores of PSQI in both groups after treatment were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05)， however， comparisons between two groups after treatment showed that the effect of catgut-embedding group was significantly superior to acupuncture group in sleep quality， daytime dysfunction， sleep time and total scores of PSQI (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Acupoint-catgut-embedding can improve the clinical effect， especially in sleep quality， daytime dysfunction， and sleep time with little adverse effects， so it is deserved to be widely applied in clinic， which maybe mechanically related to regulation of sleep-related serum cytokine .