Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Akbar Razaghi ¹
• Mehrdad Vahedian ²
• Nouzar Nakhaee ³
• Ali Asadipour ⁴
• Mehrnaz Mehrabani ⁵
• Abnoos Mokhtari ⁶
• Mehrzad Mehrbani ⁷

¹ Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

² Department of General Surgery, School of Medicine, Afzalipour Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

³ Health Services Management Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

⁴ Pharmaceutical Sciences and Cosmetic Products Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

⁵ Physiology Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

⁶ Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Institute of Basic and Clinical Physiology Sciences, and Physiology Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

⁷ Herbal and Traditional Medicines Research Center, Faculty of Persian Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Introduction: Distal polyneuropathy is a common complication of diabetes mellitus with a considerable negative impact on the quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dry cupping on distal polyneuropathy in diabetic patients.
Methods: This controlled clinical trial was performed on 34 patients with diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) for eight weeks. The non-invasive dry and fixed cupping therapy was performed on the sole of the right foot in the patients three times a week for 10 min, and the left foot of the same patient was considered as a control. The severity of diabetic neuropathy was measured using the modified Toronto Clinical Neuropathy Score (mTCNS), and the symptom and sensory test scores were determined.
Results: 20 patients (40 feet) completed the study. There was a significant difference between the control foot and the treated foot in terms of the mTCNS after four and eight weeks (p-values = 0.004 and 0.001, respectively), in terms of the sensory test scores after four and eight weeks (p-values = 0.007 and 0.005, respectively), and in terms of the symptom scores after eight weeks (p-value = 0.002).
Conclusion: For the first time, this study demonstrated that cupping therapy might be effective as a complementary treatment in alleviating the symptoms of DPN, although understanding the underlying mechanism requires further investigation.

Highlights

Akbar Razaghi(google scholar)(pubmed)

Mehrdad Vahedian(google scholar)(pubmed)

Nouzar Nakhae(google scholar)(pubmed)

Ali Asadipour(google scholar)(pubmed) 

Mehrnaz Mehrabani(google scholar)(pubmed) 

Abnoos Mokhtari(google scholar)(pubmed) 

Mehrzad Mehrbani(google scholar)(pubmed)

Keywords

• Diabetes
• Neuropathy
• Dry cupping
• Persian medicine

Main Subjects

• Neurology