The Present State and Perspective in Treatment of Primary Osteoporosis by Acupuncture and Moxibustion

Primary osteoporosis, a commonly encountered metabolic bone disease in the postmenopausal women and the aged people, can be classified by modern medicine into postmenopausal osteoporosis (Type I) and senile osteoporosis (Type II). The disease seriously affects health and quality of life of the people as it often cause ostealgia, fracture and the secondary symptoms or diseases. Presently, the pharmacotherapy (including both Chinese herbal drugs and western drugs) remains the first among all other therapeutic methods which are mainly adopted in treatment of the disease at home and abroad. Studies related have been curried out quite early and systematically, and considerable progress has been made, but limit of the pharmacotherapy has also been found. Certain non-drug treatments (such as dietetic therapy, physical exercise, acupuncture and moxibustion, and qigong, especially acupuncture and moxibustion therapy, although with a late start, have been proved effective with satisfactory results. The following is a summary of all the contributions concerned.……