Abstract Objective To evaluate the effect of scalp acupuncture in the treatment of primary insomnia based on the theory of “brain as marrow sea”. Methods A total of 90 primary insomnia patients admitted to the Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Wuhu Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Anhui Province, from February 2021 to July 2022 were selected and divided into scalp acupuncture group, conventional acupuncture group, and western medicine group according to random number table method, with 30 patients in each group. Scalp acupuncture treatment, conventional acupuncture treatment, and oral Esazolam Tablets were respectively given. Each group was treated for two courses. the sleep scale scores, traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores, and clinical efficacy of each group were compared before and after treatment. Results The time point comparison and interaction of Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) score and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome score between scalp acupuncture group and conventional acupuncture group were statistically significant (P＜0.05). Intra-group comparison: after treatment and during follow-up, PSQI scores and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome scores of scalp acupuncture group and conventional acupuncture group were lower than those before treatment, and the differences were statistically significant (P＜ 0.05). Comparison between groups: there were no statistical significances in PSQI score and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome score between scalp acupuncture group and conventional acupuncture group (P＞0.05). The PSQI score and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome score of scalp acupuncture group and western medicine group were compared between groups, time point comparison and interaction, and the differences were statistically significant (P＜0.05). Intra-group comparison: after treatment and during follow-up, PSQI score and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome score of scalp acupuncture group and western medicine group were lower than those before treatment, and the differences were statistically significant (P＜0.05). Comparison between groups: after treatment and during follow-up, PSQI score and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome score of scalp acupuncture group were lower than those of western medicine group, and the differences were statistically significant (P＜0.05). The clinical effect of scalp acupuncture group was better than that of western medicine group, and the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference in clinical effect between scalp acupuncture group and conventional acupuncture group (P＞0.05). Conclusion For the treatment of primary insomnia, scalp acupuncture has the advantages of direct action and precise acupoint selection, which can effectively improve the clinical symptoms of primary insomnia patients, improve the quality of life, and further clinical promotion.
DING Dingming LI Sikang WANG Zhongju▲ WANG Xun QU Yuqiang. Clinical effect of scalp acupuncture in the treatment of primary insomnia based on the theory of “brain as marrow sea”[J]. 中国医药导报, 2023, 20(17): 144-148.
