Journal of Acupuncture Research

Korean Acupuncture & Moxibustion Medicine Society (대한침구의학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Fire Acupuncture for Varicose Veins in the Lower Extremities: A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

  • Onyou Jo (Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine, Dosol Korean Medicine Hospital) ;
  • Jiyoon Lee (Department of Internal Korean Medicine, Dosol Korean Medicine Hospital) ;
  • Sangmin Park (Department of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation, Dosol Korean Medicine Hospital) ;
  • Jaewook Shin (Department of Oriental Neuropsychiatry, Dosol Korean Medicine Hospital) ;
  • Saerom Choi (Department of Internal Korean Medicine, Dosol Korean Medicine Hospital) ;
  • Seongyong Choi (Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine, Dosol Korean Medicine Hospital)
  • Received : 2023.03.31
  • Accepted : 2023.06.09
  • Published : 2023.08.31
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Varicose veins have a substantial burden on individuals' aesthetics and overall quality of life. The current body of research on Korean medical interventions for varicose veins is limited in Korea, and exploration into clinical trends is lacking. This review specifically analyzed fire acupuncture, which is an understudied intervention in Korea that demonstrated efficacy in alleviating pain and paralysis while promoting tissue regeneration. A comprehensive investigation of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database was conducted, utilizing terms such as "varicose vein," "fire needle," "fire acupuncture," "burning acupuncture," "burning needle," "huǒzhēn," "xiàzhī jìngmài," and "jìngmài qūzhāng." This review included 14 studies investigating the role of fire acupuncture in treating varicose veins. We extracted variables, including age, sex, disease duration, intervention method, treatment frequency, treatment period, acupoints, and outcomes. Fire acupuncture appeared as the primary intervention method, followed by general acupuncture. The protruding part of varicose veins is the main treatment area for fire acupuncture, while the acupoints BL57 and ST36 were most frequently utilized for general acupuncture. Treatment results revealed significant improvement in all studies. However, there are limitations, such as scarce studies, limited side effects studies, and potential bias. Consequently, extensive and well-structured future studies are necessary to demonstrate the role of fire acupuncture in varicose veins.

Keywords

References

  1. Leopardi D, Hoggan BL, Fitridge RA, Woodruff PW, Maddern GJ. Systematic review of treatments for varicose veins. Ann Vasc Surg 2009;23:264-276. doi: 10.1016/j.avsg.2008.10.007 
  2. Korean Society for Phlebology. Revised clinical practice guidelines for varicose veins. Medrang; 2021. 
  3. Piazza G. Varicose veins. Circulation 2014;130:582-587. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.008331 
  4. Joh JH, Park HC, Kim WS, Jung IM, Park KH, Yun WS, et al. The clinical outcomes of endovenous radiofrequency ablation of varicose veins: results from the Korean radiofrequency ablation registry. Korean J Vasc Endovasc Surg 2013;29:91-97. doi: 10.5758/kjves.2013.29.3.91 
  5. Suh SE, Cho BS, Lee MK, Park SH, Choi YJ, Kim CN, et al. The evaluation of the saphenofemoral junction after endovenous laser treatment for varicose veins and its clinical significance. J Korean Soc Vasc Surg 2009;25:35-39. 
  6. Joseph N, Abhishai B, Faizan Thouseef M, Uma Devi M, Abna A, Juneja I. A multicenter review of epidemiology and management of varicose veins for national guidance. Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2016;8:21-27. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2016.04.024 
  7. Wang M, Sharma AK. Varicose veins. J Radiol Nurs 2019;38:150-154. doi: 10.1016/j.jradnu.2019.04.004 
  8. Yang SS, Kim SM. Myths and truths about varicose veins. J Korean Med Assoc 2022;65:225-231. doi: 10.5124/jkma.2022.65.4.225 
  9. Lee H, Ok J, Song B, Hong S, Roh S, Park S, et al. A case study of cold sensitivity of hands and feet, both leg numbness treated by Sayeok-ga-ginseng-tang. J Intern Korean Med 2013:225-230. 
  10. Cai T. [Clinical treatment effect of fire acupuncture with bloodletting and acupuncture on varicose veins of the lower extremities]. Shenzhen J Integr Tradit Chin West Med 2021;31:76-77. Chinese. doi: 10.16458/j.cnki.1007-0893.2021.10.034 
  11. Jiang H, Gu LP, Liu QG, Qiu LL. [Clinical observation and quality of life evaluation on treating lower extremity varicose veins by fire-acupuncture bloodletting therapy]. Clin J Chin Med 2020;12:31-34. Chinese. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-7860.2020.34.010 
  12. Chen XP. [The effect of fire acupuncture combined with acupuncture on blood coagulation in patients with simple varicose veins of the lower extremities]. Clin J Chin Med 2021;5:94-96. Chinese. 
  13. Guo YY, Xia SW, Gao JH. [Clinical observation on fire needle water needle combined with Buyang Huanwu decoction in treating varicose veins of lower limbs]. HeBei Med 2021;27:160-162. Chinese. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-6233.2021.01.037 
  14. Ye ZZ. [Clinical effect study of fire acupuncture and acupuncture on varicose veins of lower extremities]. Worlds Latest Med Inf 2018;12:214.
  15. Yin J, Liu HY, Tian HM, Wang MF, Meng QH. [Observation of the efficacy of fire needle bloodletting in the treatment of varicose veins of the lower extremities]. Biped Health 2018;16:167-168. Chinese. doi: 10.19589/j.cnki.issn1004-6569.2018.16.167 
  16. Dai T, Li Z, Xiong Y. [Therapeutic observation of acupuncture combined with fire needle in treatment of simplex lower-limb varicose veins]. J Hunan Univ Chin Med 2017;37:1140-1142. Chinese. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-070X.2017.010.024 
  17. Wang L, Chu K, Zeng L, Wang L. [Primary varicose veins treated with HE's fire needle therapy: a randomized controlled trial]. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu 2016;36:231-236.
  18. Chen H. [Clinical control study on fire needle and pressure suit in the treatment of simple varicose veins of lower extremities]. Chin Med Mod Distance Educ China 2018;16:127-129. Chinese. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-2779.2018.24.054 
  19. Lin B. [The study of fire-needle treatment for primary varicose veins (PVV)] [thesis]. Guangxi Traditional Chinese Medical University; 2017. Chinese. 
  20. Yu XP. [Clinical effect of fire needle bloodletting in the treatment of 60 cases of venous leg eczema]. Worlds Latest Med Inf 2017;17:135. Chinese. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1671-3141.2017.21.121 
  21. Wang J, Wang G, Yuan N, Cao Q. [Efficacy and mechanism of fire needle bloodletting combined with rehabilitation training in treatment of lower extremity varicosity]. Inf Tradit Chin Med 2023. Chinese. [Epub]. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms/detail/23.1194.R.20230224.1534.008.html 
  22. Fu J, Zhang L, Luo D, Yu C. [Clinical observation on the treatment of varicose veins of lower extremities with fire acupuncture combined with Chinese medicine soaking and washing]. Nei Mongol J Tradit Chin Med 2010;10:26-27. Chinese. doi: 10.16040/j.cnki.cn15-1101.2010.10.043 
  23. Dong F. [Clinical study on fire acupuncture bloodletting therapy in the treatment of varicose veins of lower extremity]. Guangming J Chin Med 2017;32:1776-1778. Chinese. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1003-8914.2017.12.044 
  24. Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA). HIRA Bigdata Open portal. HIRA [Internet]. Wonju: 2022 Mon date [cited 2022 Mar date]. Available from: https://opendata.hira.or.kr/home.do 
  25. Park JH, Lee HY, Cho HS, Kim JC, Lee JE, Lee JJ, et al. A case of varicose veins of the lower limbs with cerebral infarction treated with Guibi-tang. Korean J Orient Intern Med 2004;25:633-639. 
  26. Song HS, Kang MS, Park DS, Choi DY, Lee JD, Kim YS, et al.; Korean Acupuncture & Moxibustion Medicine Society. The acupuncture and moxibustion medicine. Jipmoondang; 2012;144-146. 
  27. Meridian and Acupuncture Textbook Compilation Committee of Universities and Graduate School of Korean Medicine. Details of meridians & acupoints a guidebook for college students. 5th ed. Uibang; 2005. p. 259, 669.