(4) Research on the diseases of development and urinary system
Acupuncture and moxibustion regulates the development and urinary system favorably. It can treat urinary calculus and all kinds of disease such as retention of urine, urinary incontinence, enuresis. prostatitis, male sexual hypofunction etc. it can even treat bladder dysfunction caused by damage of nerve. The treatment of single point mainly uses SP6, BL23, CV6, KI3, CV3, CV4, etc. The methods of treatment applied include needling, moxibustion, auricular acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, arista needle, laser needle, point injection, magnetic treatment on the points, etc.
If the renal calculus is too large, the external seismic waves treatment is also recommended. Acupuncture and moxibustion can well regulate the urinary function of kidney and the motion of urethra bilaterally. It differs from each other due to different meridian, acupoint and techniques. It is reported needling KI6 is diuretic to the healthy while needling BL23, KI7 is anti-diuretic, and needling ST36. ST41 has no effect. Somebody locates and measures the renal calculus of 217 patients with X-ray, and then applies the electro-acupuncture treatment, compared with the drug treatment.
The result indicates electro-acupuncture has better curative effect than the treatment only with the drug in releasing renal colic and accelerating discharging of calculus. It is reported needling CV4, CV3, etc. can reduce the pressure upon the bladder to the patients with urinary incontinence and increase the pressure to the patients with retention of urine. Other clinical report says needling BL35 and then heating CV4 to treat the impotence can receive satisfying curative effect. It is possible that these point can excite the penis nerve, adjust the reflex arc between penis nerve and back nerve, improve blood circulation in the penis or affect the secretion of gonad, and then recover the erection of penis.
(5) Research on the diseases of inner-secretion and metabolization system
According to large quantity of clinical research, acupuncture and moxibustion can widely regulate the inner secretion system of economy. Many kinds of needling effects are related to the regulation of inner secretion system. The research is mainly concentrated on prevention and cure and mechanism of decompensation of inner secretion such as diabetes, hypothyroid disease, adiposis, gonad disease, etc. The treatment of single point mainly uses BL20. Sp6, BL23, ST36, Lu5, KI3, CV4, CV22, CV23, etc.
The methods applied include needling, moxibustion, auricular acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, arista needle, point injection, magnetic treatment on the points, combination of acupuncture and herbal drugs, etc. According to clinical research, acupuncture and moxibustion can preferably treat the pathological changes of Type 2 diabetes and its syndrome, lowering remarkably all the blood sugar before and after the dinner and experimental value of dextrose.
It can also cooperate with the drug in lowering the blood sugar so that the drug can be reduced or even stopped for some patients. The effect can be promoted matching with diet control and sport exercises. After needling Sp6. when blood sugar decreases more than 10%, the insulin in blood plasma increases obviously; when blood sugar has no change or increases, the insulin in blood plasma has no change or decreases. This indicates that the quantity of insulin is related to function of pancreas.
Acupuncture regulates obesity patients' adrenalin, cortisol, lipidic metabolism ( triglyceride, cholesterol), and hormone levels to decompose fat so it helps patients to loose weight. By comparing fasting blood sugar (BS), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC). Blood cortisol (BCS), saliva cortisol ( SCS ) and blood adrenalin before and after acupuncture of simple obesity patients, not only weight is lost very well, but also BCS, SCS and Ad levels rise, and BS, TG. TC levels fall distinctly, and the rise and fall is related to therapeutic effect.
It is approved by clinical experiences that acupuncture has a therapeutic effect on hyperthyrosis and thyropenia, and helps to deflate the intumescent thyroid of thyreoitis patients. This shows acupuncture has an adjustment effect on thyroid, and normalizes the thyroid function on the basis of thyroid function differentiations. For patients of hyperthyrosis, puncture Tiantu, Lianquan or other points helps deflating thyroid and reducing basal metabolism.
The therapeutic effect on hyperthyrosis patients is reached by regulating thyroid endocrine system (hypothalamus-appendix suprasphenoidalis-thyroid axis) and immune function. For patients of endemic goiter, puncture Tiantu. Hegu, Lieque points and so on deflates the tumescent thyroid obviously, alleviates the symptoms, and reduces iodine excreted in urine, and enhances thyroid's ability of iodine absorption and utilization.

(6) Researches on diseases of neural system
It has been approved by abundance of clinical and experimental researches that acupuncture has an extensive and active regulating effect on neural system functions, and also it is an effective approach to adjust different system functions. Simultaneously, it has a close relationship with needling sensation, formation of needling sensation conduction down the meridians and mechanism of acupuncture's pain alleviation effect.
Tens of neural system diseases (includes central nerve and peripheral nerve) can be treated by acupuncture, the most important ones are cerebrovascular disease, peripheral nerve injury, traumatic paraplegia and so on. As single point treatment, points on the DU meridian, points on the urinary bladder meridian, and points on the meridians of hand and foot-Yang Ming are mainly chosen. Common therapeutic methods includes needling, moxibustion, scalp acupuncture, electric acupuncture, awn needling, triangle-edged needling, Laser acupuncture, point injection, magnetic therapy of points and so on.
Combined therapy is always used on stroke. Stroke is a main disease in acupuncture clinic. Acupuncture has a great therapeutic effect on stroke, especially for stroke sequelae. Abundance of clinical research implies the early acupuncture is applied, the faster symptoms are improved, and the lesser function laesa. With the accumulation of clinical experiences of acupuncture treatment of stroke (includes cerebral infarction and brain hemorrhage), nowadays, acupuncture treatment of this disease has a tendency of diversification. Head acupuncture and acupuncture are mainly selected; other needling techniques are second-choices. For head acupuncture, Baihui penetrates Qubing (the affected side) can get great therapeutic effect, if Qianshencong penetrates Xuanli is added, the therapeutic effect is even better. "Niesanzhen" may get outstanding therapeutic effect on stroke too.
As for body needling treatment, points on Yangming and Shaoyang meridians are mainly chosen, points as Jianyu, Quchi, Waiguan, Hegu, Huantiao. Yanglingquan, Zusanli and so on can be selected. It is manifested by the research that the therapeutic effect acupuncture has on stroke is mainly because it improves cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen and cerebral blood flow. decreases the patient's cholesterol total, increases alpha-lipoprotein, prevents or alleviates artherosclerosis, scants erythrocyte and platelet aggregation, degrades whole blood viscosity, distends cerebral vessels, and promotes cerebral bypass circuit establishment, improves nail fold microcirculation, boosts activity of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) in patient's body, regulates disordered neurotransmitter in the body, lessens damage to neural cells by oxygen free radical.
As for acupuncture treatment of traumatic paraplegia, points on the stomach channel of foot-Yangming are mainly selected. Some reports Baihui, Fengfu, Dazhui, Shenzhu, Zhiyang, and Jingsuo etc. on DU meridian are selected for electric needling application. According to the researches, acupuncture promotes retrieve of impaired spinal function, improves volume of blood flow of damaged spinal medulla distinctly, and improves the circulation and metabolism of damaged region.
As for treatment of infranuclear facial palsy, Dicang, Xiache, Yangbai, Xiaguan and Hegu etc. can be selected, and mild reinforcing-reducing method is used. acupuncture helps changing pathological electromyogram, makes it getting better accompanied with clinical symptoms alleviation, makes the muscle fiber lost innervation regain innervation, and the impaired neural function is recovered gradually. These may be collected with functions of dephlogisticate, pain easing, and promoting neural fiber regeneration of acupuncture.