Suspended
moxibustion-produced heat can transfer from the
acupoint to other sites of the body. The suspended
moxibustion should be terminated when clinical propagated sensation disappears, because this implies that the quantity of
moxibustion is sufficient. We wanted to investigate if this phenomenon also occurs in experimental animals. In the present study, a rat model of
stroke was established and treated with suspended
moxibustion at Dazhui (DU14) for 60 minutes. Results showed that the increase in tail temperature began at 15 minutes after suspended
moxibustion and decreased gradually at 40 minutes. In addition, neurological function was significantly improved in
stroke rats with tail temperature increase following suspended
moxibustion, and this effect was associated with significantly reduced
tumor necrosis factor α and
interleukin 1β
mRNA. However, there was no significant difference between 40- and 60-minute suspended
moxibustion. The findings indicate that elevated tail temperature began to decrease at 40 minutes after suspended
moxibustion, and further suspended
moxibustion was not useful in the recovery of
stroke rats.