According to the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the pathogenetic factors such as platelet activation, adhesion, congregation and thrombosis fall into the category of blood stasis, while the pathological changes such as tissue necrosis, oxidative stress injury and inflammation, etc, are far beyond the etiological category of blood stasis. The toxin or the combination and transformation of toxin and blood stasis of TCM are involved in the pathogenesis of thrombotic cerebro-cardiovascular diseases. It is significant to recognize and stress the combination and transformation of toxin and stasis in pathogenicity so as to enrich TCM etiology and improve TCM clinical efficacy in the treatment of cerebro-cardiovascular and thrombotic diseases.

Objective To observe the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture at the interiorly-exteriorly related meridians plus rehabilitation training in treating post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome. Methods Sixty eligible patients with post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 30 in each group. The treatment group was intervened by acupuncture at the interiorly-exteriorly related meridians plus rehabilitation training, while the control group was by rehabilitation training alone. After 2 treatment courses, the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), visual analogue scale (VAS) and edema score were observed and compared. Results The FMA, VAS, and edema scores were significantly changed in both groups after intervention (P＜0.01). There were significant differences in comparing the FMA, VAS, and edema scores between the two groups after intervention (P＜0.05). The total effective rate was 83.3%in the treatment group versus 76.7%in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05). Conclusion Acupuncture at the interiorly-exteriorly related meridians plus rehabilitation is an effective method in treating post-stroke shoulder-hand syndrome.