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Introduction: Auricular acupuncture (AA) is a method for diagnosing and treating physical and psychosomatic dysfunctions by stimulating a specific point in the ear. Some studies prove that the acupoints on the pinna have a corresponding relationship to areas of the body. According to several studies, acupoints on the body may influence the temperature of the corresponding region. In our study, we surveyed the change in temperature of the skin surface at the mandibular area when using AA at the Jaw point on each side of the ear in healthy people. Methods: A cross-over study with 35 healthy volunteers was conducted in the Acupuncture Experimental Research Lab, Faculty of Traditional Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City from November 2021 to May 2022. Temperatures of the mandibular area before and after using auricular acupuncture were recorded. Results: After using AA at the Jaw point on the left, the temperature of the left mandibular area was increased statistically from that before (from 34.34 ± 0.69 to 34.76 ± 0.72). After using AA at the Jaw point on the right, the temperature of the right mandibular area was increased statistically from that before (from 34.50 ± 0.86 to 34.31 ± 0.68). No side effects were observed during the study. Conclusions: When using AA at the Jaw point on the ear, the temperature of the mandibular area on the side of using auricular acupuncture increased statistically, showing the relationship of the Jaw point on the ear with the mandibular area.

Introduction: Neck pain is one of the leading causes of disabilities and increasing economic and social burden. Methods affecting the trigger point (TrP) have initially shown good pain relief effectiveness and decreased degree of invasion in patients. The research is conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Electroacupuncture (EA) at TrP in chronic neck pain (CNP) treatment. Methods: A non-blind randomized study on 125 patients with CNP at Traditional Medicine Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City from September 2020 to June 2021. Patients will be randomly classified into EA at the TrP group or EA at the meridian points group. Results: There were 62 patients in the TrP group and 63 patients in the other group. After 4 weeks, in the TrP group, the Questionnaire Douleur Saint-Antoine (QDSA) score of 38.2 ± 2.6 decreased to 9.3 ± 5.7, compared with the meridian points group’s QDSA score of 37.8 ± 2.3 decreased to 12.3 ± 7.1. The percentage of patients to reach good pain relief effectiveness of EA at TrP measured by QDSA is 71.0%, statistically significantly higher than 47.6% of the other group. The decrease in the number of TrPs of EA at TrP is higher and has statistical value compared with EA at meridian points. Conclusions: EA at TrP showed better pain relief effectiveness, has a higher percentage of patients reaching good pain relief effectiveness measured by QDSA, and decreases the number of TrPs more than EA at meridian points does on patients with CNP.

Background and Objective: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of the most common neurodegenerative conditions. However, studies on the classifications and symptoms of CTS from the perspective of traditional medicine are still limited. Our study aims to identify traditional medicine disease nomenclature and symptoms of CTS by the survey form. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at The 3rd branch of University Medical Center HCMC, Thong Nhat Hospital from March 2021 to June 2021. We conducted a study survey on patients diagnosed with primary CTS and agreed to participate in the study with survey questionnaires, data were processed by using Excel 2016 and Lantern 5.0 software. Results: 48 symptoms collected from 94 patients with CTS based on questionnaires were included in the Latent Tree Model. Compared with the medical literature review, there were 40/48 symptoms and 5 patterns appearing in the collected sample. These 5 main patterns: Blood stasis has 4 symptoms, yin deficiency has 6 symptoms, damp heat has 3 symptoms, blood deficiency has 3 symptoms and invasion of meridians of wind cold has 3 symptoms to diagnose. The results of the study have shown that the results of the algorithms are statistically significant when comparing clusters of latent variables with traditional medicine descriptions. Therefore, the use of the results of the machine has a scientific basis in terms of statistics. Conclusion: After analyzing clinical data from 94 patients with Latent Tree Model, it was found that 5 disease patterns appeared with symptoms helping diagnose those disease patterns.

Background and Objectives: Adult eczema (AE) has been reported to have a poor quality of life (qoL). Auricular acupuncture (AA) is a method that has been studied a lot recently. Our study is to determine the effects of combining AA and modern medication in the relief of symptoms and the improvement in qoL in AE. Methods: A single-blind randomized study on 65 AE at the University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City Branch 3; was randomized into an auricular acupuncture (AA) group and a Sham acupuncture (SA) group. All AA group patients will receive AA at Lung, Shenmen, Endocrine, and Adrenal points. The score of scoring atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) and the score of dermatology life quality index (DLQI) were compared in two groups before and after treatments. Results: There were 33 patients in the AA group and 32 patients in the SA group. After 2 weeks, in the SA group, the SCORAD score of 46.4 ± 1.3 decreased to 28.2 ± 1.2, compared with the AA group’s SCORAD score of 47.5 ± 1.5 decreased to 24 ± 1.3; the DLQI score of 14.7 decreased to 7.6, compared with the intervention group DLQI score of 15, reduced to 5.7. The difference in improving the SCORAD score and the DLQI score between the two groups was statistically significant. No patient had any adverse events during the study. Conclusions: Combining auricular acupuncture Lung, Shenmen, Endocrine, Adrenal points, and modern medication treatment may relieve effectively symptoms and improve the QoL in AE.

Heart rate variability (HRV) is the variation in time between each heartbeat. Increasing HRV may contribute to improving autonomic nervous system dysfunctions. Acupuncture stimulation through the vagus plexus in the ear is considered as a method that can improve HRV. In this pilot study, we examined 114 healthy volunteers at the Faculty of Traditional Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, from January to May 2020. During a 20-minute interval, participants were stimulated two times at the acupoint in the left ear with Semen seed. The heart rate and HRV values were monitored before, during, and after acupressure every 5 minutes. When we compared the experimental group with the control group, HRV significantly increased in the stage of ear-stimulated acupressure compared with the stage before and after the auricular acupressure ( p = 0.01 , p = 0.04 , p = 0.04 and p = 0.02 ) and the difference was not statistically significant compared with the phase of nonstimulated ( p = 0.15 , p = 0.28 ). The changes in other values including SDNN (standard deviation of the average NN), RMSSD (root mean square of successive RR interval differences), LF (low-frequency power), and HF (high-frequency power) in all stages were not statistically significant p = > 0.05 between groups. Based on the results, we can determine the increase in HRV when conducting auricular acupressure with stimulation at the heart acupoint on the left ear. This leads to a direction in further studies for clinical application for patients with autonomic nervous disorder.

Introduction: COPD affects the quality of a patient’s life and leads to death. Identifying TCM symptoms and clinical patterns proportions in the community will make diagnosis and treatment more effective. In Vietnam, there were no epidemiological documents about COPD in TCM. Therefore, this study wished to survey stable COPD patients to find out the proportions of symptoms and patterns in TCM to create a basis for further practice. Methods: The survey was conducted as a descriptive cross-sectional study. Participants were stable COPD outpatients at the Clinic and respiratory function test of the University Medical Center HCMC from September to December 2018. According to the survey form based on the TCM diagnostic criteria, the proportions of symptoms and patterns were recorded. Results: After three months, 116 patients were recruited. The proportions of 30 TCM symptoms and signs were recorded. The proportions of patients were as follows: 80.17% met Lung qi deficiency, 76.72% for Lung-kidney qi deficiency, 53.45% for Lung-kidney qi and yin deficiency, 47.41% for Lung-spleen qi deficiency, and 2.59% for not meeting any of the diagnostic criteria. Patterns were overlapping in the same patients. Conclusions: All TCM symptoms and patterns in the diagnostic criteria appeared in COPD patients. The deficiency of the Lung and Kidney was the most common. Most patients were classified into many different patterns with multi organs damage. More multicenter studies with bigger participants numbers are suggested.

Background and Objective: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) represents one of the major causes of increasing disability worldwide. Electroacupuncture with different frequencies at the Hua Tuo Jia Ji acupoints has been used to treat CLBP in patients with lumbar osteoarthritis. Basic studies demonstrate that 100 Hz or 2 Hz electroacupuncture has pain-relief effects on CLBP; however clinical evidence for choosing which frequency is still limited. Thus, our study aims to compare the effects of 100 Hz to 2 Hz electroacupuncture for CLBP on patients with lumbar osteoarthritis. Methods: A randomized controlled trial of 124 patients with lumbar osteoarthritis at the Traditional Medicine Hospital at Ho Chi Minh City from September 2018 to July 2019. Patients were randomly allocated to either intervention group (n = 62) with 100 Hz electroacupuncture or control group (n = 62) with 2 Hz electroacupuncture at the L2-S1 Hua Tuo Jia Ji acupoints for 14 days. Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang decoction was also administered in both groups. Primary trial outcomes were QDSA score and the proportion of patients who achieved pain relief thresholds. Results: After 14 days of treatment, QDSA score in intervention group decreased significantly compared to control group. 87% of patients in intervention group had pain relief of ≥70%, and only 45% patients in control group had such result. Lumbar flexion range of motion in 100 Hz group tended to be better than in 2 Hz group. Conclusion: 100 Hz electroacupuncture had superior analgesic effects on lumbar osteoarthritis to 2 Hz electroacupuncture.

Objective. This pilot study was conducted to investigate changes in the pulse rate and blood pressure in healthy volunteers after applying auricular acupressure at the “heart acupoint.” Methods. A total of 120 healthy volunteers with hemodynamic indexes within normal limits were randomly allocated into 4 groups to receive auricular acupressure treatment either at the heart acupoint of the left or the right, or in both ears, and one control group without applying auricular acupressure. Results. Before the application of auricular acupressure, there were no statistical differences in pulse rate and blood pressure increments among the four groups during the first cold pressor test. In groups in which auricular pressure was applied, the pulse rate was significantly reduced after the application of auricular acupressure in three groups; however, no statistically significant difference was detected among the groups. Changes in blood pressure were not statistically significant in or among the different groups after applying auricular acupressure. The average recorded pulse rate values during the second cold pressor test (after auricular acupressure) were significantly lower compared to the corresponding values taken during the first cold pressor test (before auricular acupressure) ( p p > 0.05). Conclusions. These findings suggest that auricular acupressure could be used as an adjunctive nonpharmacological method for reducing the pulse rate.

Background and Objectives: Exam anxiety is a commonly seen problem among medical students. Auricular acupuncture has been shown to have an anxiety-reducing effect, however, data on exam anxiety is limited. Research in dental and preoperative anxiety has indicated that anxiety level could be reduced by using ear acupoints on the non-dominant side. Therefore, this study aims to determine whether needling at acupoints on the non-dominant side can reduce exam anxiety in medical students. Method: This is a prospective observational study on 32 students at The Faculty of Traditional Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Eligible students received auricular acupuncture on the non-dominant side at the Master cerebral, Tranquilizer and Relaxation points. Levels of anxiety were measured using a visual analogue scale before and after the intervention as well as before the exam. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, heart rate, exam performance and adverse events occurring during the study were also collected. Results: Exam anxiety level and heart rate decreased 30 minutes after auricular acupuncture (p0.05). No adverse events from auricular acupuncture were observed. Conclusion: Auricular acupuncture at the Master cerebral, Tranquillizer and Relaxation points on the non-dominant side is effective in reducing exam anxiety in medical students.

Background and Objectives: Combining modern medicine and traditional medicine in the rehabilitation of post-stroke motor deficit has shown interesting results. Many studies on modified acupuncture, a combination of modern and traditional techniques, have proven its effectiveness in motor rehabilitation in post-stroke patients. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the motor relearning method in the treatment of post-stroke paralysis has been elucidated. Therefore, our study aims to determine whether the combination between modified acupuncture and motor relearning method can improve treatment outcomes. Method: Multicenter randomized controlled trial (Traditional Medicine Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City, General Hospital of Soc Trang Province, and People Military Hospital of Soc Trang Province) from July 2014 to July 2015. 66 post-stroke patients were divided into two groups: The control group received modified acupuncture combined with Bobath method and the trial group received modified acupuncture combined with motor relearning method. After six weeks, patients were evaluated according to the Barthel score, the 10-hole test, and the ability to walk. Results: The trial group showed better results than the control group. There was a significant difference between the two groups in the Barthel score and the ability to walk, excluding the 10-hole test. After treatment, 77.42% of patients in the trial group showed improvement compared to only 51.61% in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The combination of modified acupuncture and motor relearning method is more effective than the combination of modified acupuncture and Bobath method in the rehabilitation of motor deficit after stroke.