Clinical Research of the Efficacy and the Safety of Dioscoreae Rhizoma (Sanyak) Pharmacopuncture Therapy for Peripheral Facial Paralysis Patients

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of Sanyak pharmacopuncture therapy for the treatment of peripheral facial paralysis patients. METHODS This study was a retrospective investigation of a total of 70 patients who were inpatients of the Oriental Hospital of Daejeon University between January 1, 2011, and May 31, 2012, and who were diagnosed as having peripheral facial paralysis by physical examination, the patients received three different interventions. Eleven (11) patients were treated with acupuncture and alcohol Dioscorea rhizoma pharmacopuncture (ADG), 25 patients with acupuncture and distillation Dioscorea rhizoma pharmacopuncture (DDG), and 34 patients with acupuncture and non-Dioscorea rhizoma pharmacopuncture (NDG). The resulting data were analyzed. RESULTS The changed H-B grades indicated significant improvements in all three groups, and the ADG and the DDG groups showed significant results after two weeks of treatment when compared to the NDG group. The changed y-Scores indicated significant improvements in all three groups, and the ADG group showed significant results after 10 and 15 days of treatment when compared to the NDG group. Dioscorea rhizoma pharmacopuncture may be safe for the human body because in most cases, the only abnormal finding was the pain could by the application of pharmacopuncture. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that Oriental medical treatment with dioscoreae Rhizoma (Sanyak) pharmacopuncture complex therapy may be effective and safe in patient with peripheral facial paralysis.