OBJECTIVETo observe the difference between the therapeutic effect of Du-moxibustion (Moxibustion on the Governor Vessel) combined with western medicine and that of simple western medication for the remission stage of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

METHODSTwo hundred and ten cases were randomly divided into an observation group (108 cases)and a control group (102 cases). The observation group was treated by routine treatment of western medicine combined with herb-partitioned spread moxibustion on the Governor Vessel between Dazhui (GV 14)and Yaoshu (GV 2). Simple western medicine was used in control group. The therapeutic effects of two groups were compared with the changes of symptom scores and pulmonary function before and after treatment.

RESULTSThe total effective rate of observation group (90.7%, 98/108) was higher than that of control group (74.5%, 76/102) (P < 0.01). The symptom scores and some pulmonary function indices such as forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), the percentage of force expiratory volume in one second in predicted value(FEV1%) and maximal expiratory flow(PEF) after treatment were improved obviously than those before treatment in observation group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), and the improvement degree was better than that of control group (all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONMoxibustion on the Governor Vessel combined with western medicine can improve the clinical symptoms and pulmonary function of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease of lung and kidney qi deficiency type effectively,and the effect is better than that of simple western medication.