OBJECTIVETo explore the efficacy on obesity of spleen deficiency and damp blockage pattern and hyperlipemia treated with warm needling therapy and auricular acupuncture and the effect mechanism of the combined treatment.

METHODSOne hundred and ten patients of obesity of spleen deficiency and damp blockage pattern and hyperlipemia were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 55 cases in each one. Additionally, a healthy group (52 cases) was set up as the control. In the control group, the warm needling therapy was applied to Taibai (SP 3), Chongyang (ST 42), Yinlingquan (SP 9), Zusanli (ST 36), etc., once every two days. In the observation group, on the basic treatment as the control group, the auricular acupuncture was applied to Pi (CO₁₃), Wei (CO₄), Fei (CO₁₄), Shen (CO₁₀), etc., once every 2 to 3 days. The efficacy was evaluated after 3-month, treatment in the two groups. The observation was conducted on the obesity outcomes [body mass, obesity degree (A), body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (F%)], blood-lipoids indicators [such as serum total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)], fat-islet endocrine axis outcomes [such as fasting plasma glucose (FPG) , fasting leptin (FLP), fasting insulin (FINS), insulin sensitivity index (ISI), insulin resistance index (Homa-IR) and insulin β cell function index (Homa-β)], as well as autonomic nerve function index (Y) before and after treatment in the patients of the two groups. The efficacy was assessed in the two groups.

RESULTSThe total effective rate was 96.4% (53/55) in the observation group, better than 87.3% (48/55, P < 0.01) in the control group. For the improvements of the obesity indices, the differences were not significant between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Before treatment, the levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, FLP, FPG, FINS and Homa-IR in the two groups were all significantly higher than those in the healthy group (all P < 0.01), and the levels of HDL, ISI, Homa-β and Y were significantly lower than those in the healthy group (all P < 0.01). After treatment, except Homa-β, the other indices were all improved significantly (all P < 0.01). The results in the observation group were better than those in the control group (all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe patients of obesity of spleen deficiency and damp blockage pattern and hyperlipemia have the disturbances of lipid metabolism, "fat-islet endocrinal axis" function and automatic nerve function. The combined treatment of warm needling therapy and auricular acupuncture or simple warm needling therapy present the effects of weight reducing and lipid reducing. The effect of the combined treatment is better than simple warm needling therapy. The efficacy mechanism is probably relevant to the positive regulation of blood glucose, lipid metabolism, fat-islet endocrinal axis and automatic nerve function.