Objective: To analyze the potential learning and regularity characters of clinical application of acupoint injection in modern literature of Chinese medicine by using data mining technique, so as to provide a reference for clinical application of this therapy.
Methods: A database was established first by computer recording of the standardized information data after collection of papers about acupoint injection therapy published in modern medical journals, collections of theses of medical academic conferences, dissertations for medical master's and doctor's degrees. Then, the data mining technique was employed to conduct cross link design about the types or categories of illnesses or clinical conditions, categories of departments, selection of Chinese materia medica, acupoint recipes, and clinical outcomes, etc. At last, the rules and characteristics of the acupoint injection were summarized and analyzed.
Results: The acupoint injection therapy enjoys the first rank of therapies for the treatment of diseases or clinical conditions of the internal medicine, and the second rank in the treatment of surgical problems. With respect to the types of illnesses or clinical conditions, it is used most frequently for hiccup and backlog pain. Generally, about 4 acupoints and 2 categories of medicines (Chinese herbal medicine or western medicine preparations) are selected in one session of treatment by using the acupoint injection therapy. The acupoints used are those close to and remote to the loci. The drugs predominately employed are single or compound western medicine preparations. The total effective rate is up to more than 93%.
Conclusion: The acupoint injection therapy has some obvious advantages in the treatment of clinical conditions or illness of the internal medicine and surgical problems, especially for hiccup and backlog pain. It is simple in clinical application and has a higher therapeutic effect.