[Effect of Lingnan Chen's acupuncture on postmenopausal osteoporosis and serum GH and IGF-1]

To compare the therapeutic effect on postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) between Lingnan Chen's needling technique and calcitriol soft capsules and investigate the effect mechanism in view of serum growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).

Seventy patients of PMOP were randomized into an observation group (35 cases, 4 cases dropped off ) and a control group (35 cases, 3 cases dropped off ). The patients of both groups were treated with calcium carbonate D3 tablets orally (600 mg each time, once daily). In the observation group, acupuncture was delivered at Shenshu (BL 23), Pishu (BL 20), Guanyuan (CV 4), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), etc. with the specific reinforcing-reducing technique and qi-conducting technique of Lingnan Chen's acupuncture, once every two days, three times a week. In the control group, calcitriol soft capsules were taken orally, 0.25 μg each time, twice a day. The intervention measures of two groups all lasted 12 weeks. Before and after treatment, the bone mineral density (BMD), the levels of serum GH and IGF-1 were assessed in two groups. Before treatment and 4, 8 and 12 weeks after treatment, TCM symptoms score and the MOS item short form health survey (SF-36) score were evaluated and the therapeutic effects were compared between groups.

In both within-group and between-group comparisons, the difference in BMD was not significant before and after treatment (P>0.05). After treatment, the levels of serum GH and IGF-1 were increased in the observation group (P<0.05), and higher than the control group (P<0.05). After 4, 8 and 12 weeks of treatment, the scores of TCM symptoms were reduced in both groups compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the score in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). After 4, 8 and 12 weeks of treatment, except the score of general health 4 weeks after treatment in the control group, the scores of the other domains in SF-36 were increased in both groups compared with those before treatment (P<0.05). After 12 weeks of treatment, except the score for the general health and social functions, the scores of the other domains of SF-36 in the observation group were all higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 83.9% (26/31) in the observation group, higher than 59.4% (19/32) in the control group (P<0.05).

Lingnan Chen's needling technique is effective on postmenopausal osteoporosis. This therapy may relieve the symptoms of osteoporosis and improve the quality of life, better than calcitriol soft capsules, and the effect mechanism may be related to the up-regulation of serum GH and IGF-1 in the patients.