A Randomized Trial of Chinese Diaoshi Jifa on Treatment of Dizziness in Meniere's Disease

Abstract

Background. Meniere's disease is characterized by refractory dizziness and hearing disturbance. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and tolerance of Diaoshi Jifa, a Chinese hand skill for treating dizziness in Meniere's disease. Methods. An open-labeled, randomized, controlled intervention trial was conducted. Twenty-seven patients diagnosed with Meniere's disease were randomly allocated to control group or experimental group. Both groups were assessed by DHI (dizziness handicap inventory (DHI)) questionnaire score before and within 24 hours of receiving treatment, respectively. Results. Twenty-six participants completed the study, and no adverse event was reported due to Diaoshi Jifa treatment. The difference in the DHI scores between baseline and posttreatment reached significant difference in both groups (63.88 ± 19.94 versus 10.25 ± 9.77 and 54.36 ± 17.97 versus 49.6 ± 20.50). Significant difference in DHI scores was observed between the two groups after treatment (10.25 ± 9.77 versus 49.6 ± 20.50). Further investigation of DHI subscales in the experimental group revealed significant improvement posttreatment in the physical domain, functional domain, and emotional domain. Although higher rate of improvement in the emotional domain compared to physical or functional domains was found, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions. Diaoshi Jifa might be a fast, effective, and well-tolerated method for alleviating dizziness in Meniere's disease.

Figure 1

Diaoshi Jifa treatment procedure (the patient in the pictures signed the consent form). (a) A one-time finger press of the provided acupoints in sequence and repetition of the aforementioned motion 3 to 5 times. (b) Massaging of the acupoints clockwise for 3 cycles involving the provided sequence and repeating the sequence 3−5 times. (c) Dynamic manipulation of the acupuncture points in a two-step manner. Use thumb of one hand to press the acupoints “Wan Gu” GB12 (a) and “Tian Zhu” BL10 (b) and support the head with the other 4 fingers. Use the other hand to hold the chin 15° upward. Slightly rotate the head with both hands 2 to 3 times. One should feel the thumb move in the acupoint zones.

Figure 2

Flow diagram of subjects through the protocol.

Figure 3

The DHI scores and the three subscale scores. In the Diaoshi Jifa group, the change rate was 88.3% for physical subscale, 74.7% for functional subscale, and 92.2% for emotional subscale.