Successfully treated recalcitrant atopic eczema with acupoint autohemotherapy: A case report and hypothesized mechanism of the therapy.
10.1016/j.joim.2022.01.003
- Author:
Bin ZHAO
1
;
Yong CHEN
2
;
Shi-Min LIAO
3
;
Jian-Ying ZHENG
3
;
Shi-Hua YAN
3
;
Dong-Shu ZHANG
4
Author Information
1. Department of Acupuncture, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China; Department of Acupuncture, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China.
2. Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, the Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen 518020, Guangdong Province, China.
3. Department of Acupuncture, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China.
4. Department of Acupuncture, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China; Department of Acupuncture, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China. Electronic address: nyzds@sina.com.
- Publication Type:Case Reports
- Keywords:
Acupuncture therapy;
Autohemotherapy;
Case report;
Eczema;
Mechanism
- MeSH:
Acupuncture Points;
Adult;
Dermatitis, Atopic/therapy*;
Female;
Humans;
Inflammation;
Treatment Outcome
- From:
Journal of Integrative Medicine
2022;20(2):182-186
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Acupoint autohemotherapy at bilateral Zusanli (ST36) and Xuehai (SP10) was used to treat a 26-year-old female patient who had suffered from recalcitrant atopic eczema (AE) for five years. The treatment was applied at a frequency of once per week for the first month, followed by a three-month period of once every other week. At the end of treatment, the patient's AE symptoms were entirely resolved, and by the end of a six-month follow-up her immunoglobulin E level had returned to the normal range. Further, there was no relapse of AE symptoms during the six-month follow-up. Therefore, we hypothesized that after the repeated treatments the local inflammatory reaction induced by autologous blood injection triggered a local immune response, followed by a systemic immune response after the repeated treatment, finally leading to the anti-inflammation and immunomodulation effects. This case suggests that acupoint autohemotherapy could be used as an effective complementary treatment for recalcitrant AE, especially in cases where other treatments have failed. Further comparative studies are needed to corroborate the value and mechanisms of this therapy.
