Clinical observation on acupuncture treatment of alopecia areata

Objective To observe the clinical effects of acupuncture therapy for alopecia areata. Methods Seventy-eight patients were randomly divided into two groups. 43 cases in the treatment group were treated by acupuncture and pricking of plum-blossom needle therapy. 35 cases in the control group were treated with oral administration of Cystine tablets, Vit B 1 , and topical wash with Minoxidil Solution. The therapeutic effects were assessed after 4-month treatment in the two groups. Results The curative effect and total effective rate were 58.1% and 97.7% in the treatment group, and 34.3% and 77.1% in the control group respectively, with statistical differences in the curative rate and total effective rate between the two groups (both P