ginger moxibustion for treating diarrhea in copd patients

Assessing the Efficacy of Ginger Moxibustion in Diarrhea Management in COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms (dyspnea, cough, sputum production, or exacerbations) due to abnormalities of the airways (bronchitis, bronchiolitis) and/or alveoli (emphysema) that cause persistent, often progressive, airflow obstruction1,2. COPD has become a severe chronic disease with high morbidity, high mortality, high disability rate, and heavy disease burden. The &#34;China Lung Health Study&#34; shows that the incidence of COPD in people over 40 years old in China is 13.7%3. The total number of COPD patients in China is ~100 million. Acute exacerbations occur 0.5-3.5 times in patients with COPD each year and are the main cause of death in COPD patients. In 2013, the total number of deaths from COPD in China was 910,000, ranking third for a single disease, accounting for 31.1% of the total number of deaths from COPD in the world4.
Diarrhea refers to an increased frequency of bowel movements, thin stool, mucus, pus, blood, undigested food, urgent bowel movements, or even fecal incontinence. Precisely, diarrhea consists of more than three bowel movements per day, with the fecal water content greater than 85%5,6. Diarrhea is a common extrapulmonary complication in COPD patients and is usually accompanied by loss of appetite, bloating, fatigue, anxiety, and other discomfort. Studies have shown that the incidence of diarrhea in COPD patients during antibiotic treatment is ~5%-25%7. Diarrhea leads to water and electrolyte disturbances in patients and aggravates the risk of malnutrition in patients. It not only reduces the quality of life of patients with COPD but also impedes the recovery of respiratory function and affects the prognosis of COPD8,9,10. The management of diarrhea mainly includes antidiarrheic, oral or intravenous rehydration, probiotics, antibiotics (where there is evidence of infection)11,12,13,14, zinc treatment15, and diet therapy16,17. However, antidiarrheal drug treatment can only temporarily control the symptoms of diarrhea, which cannot be cured entirely. Other methods have a longer course of treatment, which increases the burden on patients. Therefore, an easily implemented non-pharmacological therapy is necessary for treating diarrhea in COPD patients.
Ginger moxibustion involves cutting fresh ginger (Zingiber officinale) into thin slices, lighting moxa sticks on the ginger slices, and then placing moxibustion at specific acupuncture points. Moxa is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, which can warm channels to dispel coldness Moxibustion can eliminate many uncomfortable symptoms through the warming meridian. It is effective in treating knee joint disease, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic atrophic gastritis, post chemotherapy nausea, and vomiting18,19,20,21. Ginger slices have the effect of dispelling cold22,23. In clinical practice, most COPD patients have diarrhea symptoms. Acute exacerbation of DOPD is usually triggered by infection; antibiotics can control the infection but tend to worsen diarrhea symptoms. Dietary adjustment, antidiarrheal drugs, and intestinal flora supplementation have some benefits for diarrhea, but they are not enough. Ginger moxibustion is an ancient traditional Chinese medicine technique, which has the functions of warming the body and dispelling cold, reconciling qi and blood, fueling health, and enhancing spleen and stomach function. It has been observed to have an outstanding effect on diarrhea in clinical settings. It is simple and easy to perform, has no apparent side effects, and is easy for patients to accept.
Here, we present a randomized controlled trial using ginger moxibustion as a non-pharmacological therapy to treat COPD patients with diarrhea, comparing it to conventional therapy to confirm the effectiveness and superiority of ginger moxibustion therapy. Detailed descriptions of the procedure and video demonstrations will help further promote this traditional Chinese medicine therapy.

Author Spotlight: Exploring Non-Pharmacological Therapies for Chronic Respiratory Diseases &amp;#8212; Linking Intestinal Microbiome Insights to COPD Treatment

Ginger Moxibustion, A Non-pharmacological Treatment, for Diarrhea in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Ginger Moxibustion for Treating Diarrhea in COPD Patients

To begin, use a utility knife to cut out five pieces of ginger. Using a cotton swab, prick five small holes in each ginger piece. Now take the moxa sticks apart, and remove an appropriate amount of moxa.Need the moxa into a mass in the palm. Then shape it into a cone with a bottom diameter of approximately 0.3 centimeters and a height of 0.3 centimeters. Locate the shenshu acupoint by following the national standard, nomenclature and location of Meridian points.Disinfect an area of approximately five centimeters around the acupoint. Then cut a hole in the center of the treatment towel and lay it over the shenshu acupoint to insulate the rest of the abdomen and prevent skin burns from the burning moxa. Next place a prepared moxa cone on a piece of ginger and light it.Using tweezers, transfer the ginger piece onto the patient's shenshu acupoint. After three minutes, place a new moxa cone on top of another ginger piece and light it. Remove the used ginger and moxa cone from the patient's shenshu acupoint.Extinguish the burnt moxa cone by placing it in water and repeat this process four times, After treatment, the mean COPD assessment test score in the treatment group decreased to 18.00 from a pre-treatment score of 22.00, while the control group decreased to 19.44 from 21.22. The mean stool characteristics and defecation frequency score in the treatment group decreased to 3.33 from a pre-treatment score of 8.44 while the control group decreased to 4.44 from 8.67.

ginger-moxibustion-for-treating-diarrhea-in-copd-patients

Research

JoVE Journal

Medicine

64 Views. To begin, use a utility knife to cut out five pieces of ginger. Using a cotton swab, prick five small holes in each ginger piece. Now take the moxa sticks apart, and remove an appropriate amount of moxa.Need the moxa into a mass in the palm. Then shape it into a cone with a bottom diameter of approximately 0.3 centimeters and a height of 0.3 centimeters. Locate the shenshu acupoint by following the national standard, nomenclature and location of Meridian points.Disinfect an area...

Video: Ginger Moxibustion for Treating Diarrhea in COPD Patients

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common and frequently occurring disease in the elderly population, and it tends to progressively worsen. Diarrhea is a common extrapulmonary complication in patients with COPD. Diarrhea can cause dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, weakness, and a loss of appetite, among other adverse consequences, which seriously affect the quality of life and nutritional status of patients. These consequences are not conducive to improving airway obstruction in COPD patients. At present, modern medicine has poor curative effects, fails to control symptoms fully, causes a relapse after drug withdrawal, has side effects, and increases the medication burden of patients. Ginger moxibustion is a unique non-pharmacological therapy of traditional Chinese medicine, which is safe and effective in controlling diarrhea, has few side effects, and is easy to accept. It is, therefore, an ideal alternative therapy. This article aims to introduce the protocol of ginger moxibustion for treating diarrhea in COPD patients.

Here, we present the method of using ginger moxibustion to treat diarrhea in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common and frequently occurring disease in the elderly population, and it tends to progressively worsen. ...