South Campus—Acupuncture Ward 4（哈南分院）

Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Ward 4

2022.11

I. Department Overview

Ward 4 of the Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion at the Southern Campus of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine is Ward 3 of the Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion at the Main Hospital. It operates under a dual-core model: one hospital with two sites and one department with two sites. It is a key specialty of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine—the specialty of brain diseases; an acupuncture specialty designated by the Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; a designated institution for the development of a specialty program for stroke diseases by the Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine; and the leading institution for the national clinical pathway for ophthalmoplegia. It is a key department for acupuncture clinical research at our hospital. With strong capabilities and sophisticated diagnostic and treatment techniques, it is a specialized neurology treatment department integrating medical care, scientific research, and teaching.

At present, our department has developed distinctive treatment features that combine acupuncture and moxibustion, Chinese herbal medicine, and rehabilitation, while providing medication, non-pharmacological therapies, and psychological treatment concurrently. On the basis of inheriting and applying traditional Chinese medicine methods such as acupuncture and moxibustion and Chinese herbal medicine to treat conditions in which the department has particular expertise—including cerebrovascular diseases (cerebral infarction and cerebral hemorrhage), post-traumatic brain syndrome, spinal cord injury, ophthalmoplegia, bulbar palsy, dementia, facial paralysis, insomnia, depression, anxiety, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Guillain–Barré syndrome, trigeminal neuralgia, migraine, vertigo, cervical spondylosis, and lumbar spine disease—we have also introduced advanced rehabilitation concepts and treatment equipment from China and abroad. Through comprehensive regulation and treatment of patients, we help them overcome the difficulties caused by disease as quickly as possible, improve their quality of life, achieve independence in daily living, and return to their families and society at an early date. The department treats more than 1000 patient visits annually, with a treatment effectiveness rate as high as 99%.

Medical care, teaching, and scientific research in the department have developed simultaneously, producing abundant research achievements. The department has received one First Prize of Science and Technology from the Chinese Acupuncture Association, one Second Prize of Science and Technology from the China Association of Chinese Medicine, five Second Prizes from the Provincial Government, one Third Prize from the Provincial Government, and two First Prizes for Provincial Higher Education Teaching Achievements. It has published more than 100 papers, including 4 indexed by EI and 4 indexed by SCI; undertaken 2 national-level projects and 38 other projects at various levels; participated in compiling 11 national-planning textbooks; and co-authored more than 10 works. It undertakes teaching for courses including Neurology, Neurological Localization Diagnosis, Acupuncture and Moxibustion, and Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy. It has trained 26 doctoral students and 108 master’s students.

From the time the department was established, it has adopted the principle that its work should be patient-centered, with improving the quality of medical care, management, and medical services as its primary focus. In the spirit of being highly responsible for the medical profession, we treat people sincerely, pursue excellence, and strive to create a sound professional ethics culture and medical environment, endeavoring to provide every patient with comprehensive treatment that is high-quality, high-standard, standardized, and individualized.

II. Scope of Diagnosis and Treatment

1. Brain diseases: cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, post-traumatic brain syndrome, subarachnoid hemorrhage, limb paralysis and aphasia caused by encephalitis, etc.

2. Spinal cord injury: traumatic spinal cord injury, myelitis, spinal cord tumors, and motor, sensory, and autonomic dysfunction, urinary retention, and urinary incontinence caused by syringomyelia, etc.

3. Peripheral nerve injuries: facial neuritis, multiple cranial neuritis, polyneuropathy, radial nerve palsy, ulnar nerve palsy, common peroneal nerve palsy, Guillain–Barré syndrome, etc.

4. Dementia: vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, mixed dementia, mild cognitive impairment, alcohol-induced toxic encephalopathy, etc.

5. Painful conditions: migraine, trigeminal neuralgia, intercostal neuralgia, occipital neuralgia, brachial plexus neuralgia, sciatica, etc.

6. Cervical and lumbar spine diseases: cervical spondylosis, lumbar disc herniation, acute lumbar sprain, etc.

7. Sleep disorders: insomnia, depression, anxiety, narcolepsy, sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome, restless legs syndrome, etc.

8. Difficult and complicated diseases: ophthalmoplegia, bulbar palsy, hemifacial spasm, vertigo, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, narcolepsy, motor neuron disease, multiple system atrophy, etc.

III. Medical Features

At present, our department has developed distinctive treatment features combining acupuncture and moxibustion, Chinese herbal medicine, and rehabilitation, with medication, non-pharmacological therapies, and psychological treatment provided concurrently.

The advanced distinctive therapies used by our department include:

Feature 1: Alternating flexor–extensor low-frequency acupoint electrical stimulation therapy. We proposed the new therapy of treating upper-limb motor dysfunction by alternating flexor and extensor muscles, and subsequently developed three generations of alternating flexor–extensor low-frequency acupoint electrical therapy devices. These devices achieve orderly joint movement and are at an advanced level domestically. The related achievements have received two Second Prizes from the Provincial Government.

Feature 2: Combined acupuncture and rehabilitation therapy. This therapy uses scalp cluster needling together with rehabilitation techniques. It inherits, develops, and innovates the scalp cluster needling method, highlights the advantages of dynamic treatment for stroke, organically integrates acupuncture therapy with neurorehabilitation, maximally reduces neurological deficits after stroke, inhibits patients’ abnormal recovery patterns, prevents complications, improves quality of life, and provides new ideas and methods for stroke rehabilitation.

Feature 3: Electro-body acupuncture in the optimal limb position. For acupuncture treatment of patients with hemiplegia, we combine the concept of the optimal limb position in rehabilitation. Performing acupuncture while patients are in the optimal limb position helps prevent and control the emergence of abnormal movement patterns.

Feature 4: Sleep Center. The department has established the Sleep Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, which consists of a sleep clinic, a central sleep-monitoring control room, and a sleep-monitoring room. It mainly provides monitoring and treatment for various sleep disorders, including insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea–hypopnea syndrome, restless legs syndrome, RBD, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and somatization disorder. The center conducts polysomnography (PSG), portable sleep respiratory monitoring, the multiple sleep latency test, the maintenance of wakefulness test, PSG-PAP, and various other monitoring programs to diagnose sleep-related diseases scientifically and accurately. It combines cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) with comprehensive treatments such as traditional Chinese acupuncture and moxibustion and Chinese herbal medicine. The Sleep Center aims to use advanced technologies and protocols from China and abroad to achieve precise diagnosis and treatment of sleep-disorder-related diseases and safeguard healthy sleep for the many patients it serves.

Feature 5: Du-regulating moving-cupping therapy. Because stroke patients are bedridden for long periods, have poor lumbar and back function, and have high muscle tone, many patients whose lower-limb muscle strength should allow them to stand and walk are nevertheless unable to do so. We therefore use moving cupping on the back to disperse the channels and open the collaterals, strengthen the trunk muscles, and relieve muscle tone, thereby helping patients stand and walk and improving their ability to live independently.

Feature 6: Warm-needle acupuncture. For patients with post-stroke dysfunction of bowel and bladder function and cold limbs, in addition to local acupuncture, we apply moxibustion to the needles. This warms and unblocks the meridians and promotes the movement of qi and blood, producing significant clinical treatment effects.

Feature 7: Long-retained needles with intermittent manipulation in scalp cluster needling. Professor Yu Zhishun proposed the hypothesis of the acupuncture field on the basis of ancient records and extensive clinical and basic research. Based on the acupuncture-field theory, he proposed a new scalp-acupoint zoning and stimulation method—Yu’s scalp acupuncture. At present, Yu’s scalp acupuncture has been widely used clinically and has produced significant positive effects in the treatment of stroke.

Feature 8: Neck acupuncture therapy. This therapy received the Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. Through many years of clinical and basic neurobiological research, the project identified an effective acupuncture protocol for treating true bulbar palsy, added a treatment method for this intractable condition, improved the theory of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy, filled a gap in the treatment of difficult neurological diseases, and demonstrated the unique role of traditional Chinese medicine, especially acupuncture and moxibustion, in modern medical care.