Acupuncture ; history ; Acupuncture Points ; China ; History, Ancient ; Humans ; Leg ; anatomy & histology ; Medicine in Literature ; Meridians

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of fire needling plus Chinese herbal medicine in treating alopecia areata. Method Fifty patients with alopecia areata were randomized into a treatment group of 35 cases and a control group of 15 cases. The treatment group was intervened by fire needling plus Chinese herbal medicine, while the control group was by oral administration of Chinese herbal medicine alone. The clinical efficacies were compared after 3-month treatment.Result The total effective rate was 97.1% in the treatment group versus 73.3% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).Conclusion Fire needling plus Chinese herbal medicine is an effective method in treating alopecia areata.