The Exploration of Disease Pattern, Zheng, for Differentiation of Allergic Rhinitis in Traditional Chinese Medicine Practice
Open Access
- 29 July 2012
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Hindawi Limited in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Vol. 2012, 1-7
- https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/521780
Abstract
Pattern, or “zheng,” differentiation is the essential guide to treatment with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, the considerable variability between TCM patterns complicates evaluations of TCM treatment effectiveness. The aim of this study was to explore and characterize the relationship between patterns and the core patterns of allergic rhinitis. We summarized 23 clinical trials of allergic rhinitis with mention of pattern differentiation; association rule mining was used to analyze TCM patterns of allergic rhinitis. A total of 205 allergic rhinitis patients seen at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital from March to June 2005 were included for comparison. Among the 23 clinical trials evaluated, lung qi deficiency and spleen qi deficiencies were the core patterns of allergic rhinitis, accounting for 29.50% and 28.98% of all patterns, respectively. A higher prevalence of lung or spleen qi deficiency (93.7%) was found in Taiwan. Additionally, patients with lung or spleen qi deficiency were younger (27.99±12.94 versus 58.54±12.96 years) and the severity of nasal stuffiness was higher than among patients with kidney qi deficiency (1.35±0.89 versus 0.62±0.65; 𝑃<0.05). Lung and spleen qi deficiencies are the core patterns of allergic rhinitis and determining the severity of nasal stuffiness is helpful in differentiating the TCM patterns.Keywords
This publication has 33 references indexed in Scilit:
- Evaluation of the immunomodulatory properties in mice and in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of cycloartane type saponins from Astragalus speciesJournal of Ethnopharmacology, 2012
- An evidence-based validation of traditional Chinese medicine syndromesComplementary Therapies in Medicine, 2010
- Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) guidelines: 2010 RevisionJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2010
- Comparing TCM textbook descriptions of menopausal syndrome with the lived experience of London women at midlife and the implications for Chinese medicine researchMaturitas, 2010
- Herbal interventions for chronic asthma in adults and children: a systematic review and meta-analysisPrimary Care Respiratory Journal, 2010
- What happens to patients with nasal stuffiness and pathological rhinomanometry left without surgery?2009
- Association of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders with Other Atopic DisordersImmunology and Allergy Clinics of North America, 2009
- Antiinflammatory effects of Bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang in patients with perennial allergic rhinitisJournal of Ethnopharmacology, 2008
- A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Acupuncture for the Treatment of Childhood Persistent Allergic RhinitisPEDIATRICS, 2004
- Interleukin-4 and lnterleukin-13: Their Similarities and DiscrepanciesInternational Reviews of Immunology, 1998