The Effectiveness of Moxibustion: An Overview During 10 Years
2011

The Effectiveness of Moxibustion: An Overview During 10 Years

Sample size: 4434 publication Evidence: low

Author Information

Author(s): Kim Song-Yi, Chae Younbyoung, Lee Seung Min, Lee Hyejung, Park Hi-Joon

Primary Institution: Kyung Hee University

Hypothesis

This study aims to summarize and evaluate the effectiveness of moxibustion.

Conclusion

The study found that moxibustion was superior to control in some cases, but overall evidence for its effectiveness in specific diseases was limited.

Supporting Evidence

  • Moxibustion was more effective than medication in two ulcerative colitis studies.
  • Moxibustion showed no additional effects when used with chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
  • Indirect moxibustion for 1 or 3 months was more effective than medication in ulcerative colitis studies.

Takeaway

Moxibustion is a treatment that uses heat from burning herbs, and while it helped some patients, we need more good studies to know how well it works.

Methodology

The study included a systematic review of randomized controlled trials from PubMed between January 1998 and July 2008.

Potential Biases

Many studies lacked proper randomization and blinding, which could affect the results.

Limitations

The overall quality of the studies was low, and many used inappropriate controls.

Participant Demographics

A total of 4434 patients participated, with 2274 in the moxibustion group and 2160 in the control group.

Statistical Information

P-Value

P = .001

Confidence Interval

95% CI, 2.20 (1.37, 3.52)

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/ecam/nep163

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