Observation on the Effect of Earlobe Bleeding Therapy plus Body Acupuncture for 85 Cases of Common Acne

Writer: LIU Zhao-hui

(Acupuncture Institute of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700)

ABSTRACT  Objective   To observe the clinical effect of earlobe bleeding therapy plus acupuncture for common acne.  Methods  The earlobe bleeding therapy plus local and body acupuncture based on syndrome differentiation was adopted for 85 cases of common acne.  Results  Of 85, 61 were cured, 12 remarkably effective, 9 effective, 3 ineffective, the total effective rate was 96.47% (P＜0.05).   Conclusion  It treats both Biao-symptom and Ben-root of common acne, short in course and effective in result.

Key Words  Common acne; Acupuncture; Earlobe bleeding therapy

The common acne is a kind of chronic inflammatory disease of hair-follicles and sebaceous glands, commonly seen on face, chest and back, forming comedones, papulae, pustules, nodules and cysts, mostly seen in teenagers, causing damage of appearance directly. According to the modern medicine, it is due to oversecretion of male hormone, dyskeratosis of conduit of sebaceous gland of hair-follicles, and animalcule infection, etc. At present, male hormone antagon, antibiotics and tretinoin are used for treatment. The effect is not good and there is side effect as well. The author treated 85 cases of common acne from 2001 to 2005 with earlobe bleeding therapy and acupuncture. The effect was satisfactory and the course of treatment short. The report is as follows.

1. General data

All the 85 cases were diagnosed in the dermatology department of western medicine hospital, either not relieved by Chinese and western medicine or had relapse. Of them, 32 were males and 53 females, aged 15-36, with a course of acne 0.5-8 years.

2. Syndrome differentiation

2.1. Wind heat in lung meridian: Red papulae, itching and pain, a few pustules, red face, dry throat, thirst. Tongue tip red, coating thin and yellow, pulse superficial and rapid.

2.2. Accumulated heat in lung and stomach: Acne, comedones, big papulae in red colour, nodules, burning sensation with itching, red greasy face, accompanied with dry throat, dry stools, yellow urine. Red swollen tongue with toothmarks on borders, yellow sticky coating, wiry rapid or rolling rapid pulse.

2.3. Liver stagnation and yin deficiency: Dark red follicular papulae, hit-and-miss, more sebaceous secretion. The patients of this group were all middle-aged females and accompanied with aggravation of acne before menstruation, irregular menstruation, and a history of dysmenorrhea. Red tongue, little coating, thready and rapid pulse.

2.4. Combination of phlegm with blood stasis: Mainly manifested as inflammatory nodules and cysts with scars and pigmentation. It is a prolonged case with repeated attacks. Dark red tongue, white sticky coating, deep and hesitant pulse.

3. Methods of treatment

3.1. Earlobe bleeding: After the conventional disinfection, the one-off three-edged needle 0.6mm in diameter was used to prick the point Tonsil 1-2 times to a depth approximately 2mm and 10-15 drops of blood squeezed out. Each week 2-3 times of treatment, 10 times as one course. This bleeding therapy could be applied before or after the acupuncture.

3.2. Local points of head and face: Baihui (GV 20), Yintang (EX-HN3), Tongziliao (GB 1) and Chengjiang (CV 24) were punctured obliquely; Quanliao (SI 18), Juliao (ST 3) and Xiaguan (ST 7) punctured perpendicularly; and the obvious acnes and nodules, Ashi points, punctured transversely by using 2-3 needles in a surrounding way. The needles were not manipulated reinforcing or reducing, just retained for waiting for qi.

3.3. Body points: the point selection was based on syndrome differentiation.

   (1). Dispel wind and clear heat: Hegu (LI 4), Quchi (LI 11), Dazhui (GV 14), Feishu (BL 13).

   (2). Clear heat and dissolve damp: Hegu (LI 4), Quchi (LI 11), Waiguan (TE 5), Zusanli (ST 36), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Sanyinjiao (SP 6).

(3). Regulate and reinforce liver and kidney: Ganshu (BL 18), Shenshu (BL 23), Taixi (KI 3), Taichong (LR 3).

(4). Dissolve phlegm and remove blood stasis: Fenglong (ST 40), Zusanli (ST 36), Xuehai (SP 10), Qihai (CV 6).

Even method. The needles were retained for 30 minutes. One week 2-3 times of treatment, 10 times as one course. 

4.1. Criterion of therapeutic effect

Basically cured: More than 95% of the subjective symptoms and skin lesion disappeared and no new acnes appeared.

Remarkably effective: ≥70% of skin lesion were reduced and few new acnes appeared.

Effective: ≥30% of skin lesion were reduced but some new acnes appeared.

Ineffective: After 3 courses of treatment, ≤30% of skin lesion were reduced and new acnes increased.

4.2. Results of treatment

Of 85 cases, 61 were cured, 12 remarkably effective, 9 effective, 3 ineffective, the total effective rate was 96.47% (P＜0.05). The effect based on the syndrome differentiation:

(1). Wind heat in lung meridian: Of 39 cases, 31 were cured, 5 remarkably effective, 3 effective.

(2). Accumulated heat in lung and stomach: Of 16 cases, 8 were cured, 4 remarkably effective, 3 effective, 1 ineffective.

(3). Liver stagnation and yin deficiency: Of 25 cases, 22 were cured, 2 remarkably effective, 1 effective.

(4). Combination of phlegm with blood stasis: Of 5 cases, 1 remarkably effective, 2 effective, 2 ineffective.

5. Typical case
     X X, female, 25 years old, a company clerk, came for the first visit on March 12, 2004. Chief complaint: facial acne with repeated attacks for 6 years and became worse for 2 months. She was relatively fat, preferred deepfired and sweet food, and with a family history. Six years ago, she began to have massive red papulae and acnes, from which the residue-like pus could be squeezed out. She went to see the dermatologist and was diagnosed common acne. Treated by oral taking and external application of western medicine, her acnes were sometimes better sometimes worse. She also went to see Chinese doctors and took herbal medicines, but the effect was not very good either. Examination: Her greasy face was with thick pores, the newly seen red papulae and acnes were mainly distributed on the forehead and at the lower part of cheek of both sides. The skin was not smooth with dark red nodule patches, some acnes with blacktops, from which the residue-like pus could be squeezed out. She had epigastric distention, good appetite, constipation, and yellow urine. Her tongue was swollen with toothmarks on borders, slightly yellow coating, her pulse rolling, rapid and forceful. In differentiation, this was a syndrome of accumulated heat in lung and stomach. For body acupuncture, the points to clear heat and dissolve damp were selected. The method of acupuncture as above-mentioned was adopted. After 3 times of treatment, no more new acnes appeared and the old ones became light in colour, the nodules became flat and smaller. After 8 times of treatment, she was basically cured. With 12 times of treatment, 2 courses, given to consolidate the effect, the skin became so smooth with lustrous that even her parents failed to recognize her at the first glance when she went home to visit her family. The follow-up up till now found no relapse, only 2 or 3 acnes appeared occasionally.

6. Discussion

    Acne is named as Feifeng Fenci in TCM. The lung dominates skin and skin hair. The lung relates to the large intestine externally-internally. The face is the place where the stomach and large intestine Yangming meridians distribute. “The meeting place of yang meridians” is where the acne is likely to appear. The occurrence of acne is mainly due to excessive yang qi of young people and blood heat retention, or invasion to the lung by exogenous wind heat that disperses to the head and face, or indulgence in greasy and pepper food which causes damp heat retained in stomach and intestines and dispersed to skin. In those middle aged people, it is mostly due to mental tension, anger damaging the liver, exhaustion of yin and blood, and deficient fire flaring up. In case the acnes are onset repeatedly, the phlegm heat will be stagnated to form cysts and nodules and scars and pigmentation. No matter it is excess heat, heat retention, damp heat or deficiency fire, the causative factor is fire flaring up after all.

     The author used the earlobe bleeding therapy for the treatment based on the theory that the earlobe is the reflection area of head and face in Ear Acupuncture. Therefore, the point Tonsil is pricked for bleeding for the purpose to clear the fire of head and face. In addition, the tonsil is located in the throat where is dominated by the lung. Bleeding at this point can also clear the lung heat. The quick effect is obtained with 3-5 times of treatment generally. Together with local and body acupuncture, the satisfactory result will be achieved quickly.  
     The advantage of this therapy is: 1. without obvious treated marks left on face. According to some clinical reports, the good effect can also be achieved with other bleeding methods, for instance, pricking-cupping on face and back, but there are obvious treated marks left, with which the patient is not happy to go out for public activities. 2. The problem that the functional disturbance of stomach and intestines causing the poor absorption of medicine is avoided. 3. The local area treatment and the whole body regulation are carried out simultaneously. Taking both physiological and psychological factors into consideration, Biao-symptom and Ben-root are treated together. 4. Short in course and effective in result. The total effective rate of 85 cases in the very observation is 96.74%. This is a good method of treatment welcome by patients. 
     In order to prevent recurrence, the patient should pay great attention to self preservation, keeping the skin clean, washing with warm water, avoiding using oily cosmetics and squeezing the acnes so as not to have secondary infection; be on reasonable diet, not to eat pungent and greasy food, stimulating food, such as mutton, fish, shrimps, etc., and prevent constipation; keep in the good mood for preventing from liver qi stagnation, damage of spleen in producing damp, and transformation into fire. In brief, the self care and life regulation are very significant for preventing the relapse of acne.