Objective: To analyze the application rules of the red-hot needle therapy to the treatment of neurological dysfunction related diseases in the ancient and modern clinical practice by data mining.
Methods: Modern literature data about the red-hot needle therapy in medical journals and partial medical books were collected to establish a "red-hot needling literature network database", followed by manually selecting its applicable illness spectrum of neurological dysfunction. Then, the application rules of the red-hot needling for neurological dysfunction related diseases, including selection of acupuncture needle types, acupoints, operation methods, etc. were analyzed.
Results: A total of 17 categories of neurological dysfunction related diseases treated by red-hot needle therapy were collected from medical journals, ten categories of diseases collected from medical cases, and five categories of diseases collected from medical books. The most frequently seen diseases were herpes zoster/residual neuralgia of herpes zoster, facial paralysis, facial neuritis (prosopodynia), and stroke/stroke sequelae, etc. During acupuncture treatment, doctors (acupuncturists) usually selected Ashi points, performed spot pricking or quick insertion and withdrawal of the red-hot needle, or adopted additional surrounded needling around the focus of infection according to syndrome differentiation in some cases.
Conclusion: Red-hot needle therapy has a good curative efficacy in relieving symptoms of neurological dysfunction related diseases, being worthy of promotion in clinical practice.