{
  "abstract": "Background Functional constipation (FC) is common and severely impairs quality of life. Existing drug therapies are limited by dependence, variable efficacy, and side effects. Visceral-meridian tuina (VMT) and drug-separated navel moxibustion (DSNM) are distinctive TCM external therapies that regulate qi, unblock meridians, warm the intestines, and strengthen the body. Their combined use may produce synergistic effects, yet high-quality evidence is lacking. This prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluates the efficacy and safety of VMT combined with DSNM for FC, aiming to provide a safe, effective, and scalable non-pharmacological intervention.Methods 276 patients meeting the Rome IV criteria for FC were randomly assigned to three groups: Control (standard treatment, n=92), Tuina (standard + VMT, n=91), and Combination (standard + VMT + DSNM, n=93). Interventions lasted four weeks. The primary outcome was the Constipation Severity Score (CSS). Secondary outcomes included clinical symptom scores, TCM syndrome scores, PAC-QOL (quality of life) scores, and abdominal distension scores. Safety was monitored via adverse event reporting. Data were collected before and after treatment, and at 1, 2, and 4 weeks post-treatment.Results All groups showed improvement, but the Combination group achieved significantly greater reductions in CSS (P < 0.01) compared to the Tuina and Control groups. This group also demonstrated superior improvements in clinical symptoms, TCM syndrome scores, abdominal distension, and overall PAC-QOL scores (P < 0.05). At the 4-week follow-up, the Combination group maintained the best therapeutic effect with the lowest recurrence rate. No severe treatment-related adverse events occurred, indicating a favorable safety profile.Conclusions VMT combined with DSNM provides a definitive therapeutic benefit for FC, surpassing isolated tuina therapy and conventional treatment in alleviating constipation severity, clinical symptoms, TCM syndrome differentiation, and enhancing quality of life. This approach aligns with TCM’s holistic principle of ‘treating both the root and the branch,’ offering a safe, effective, and easily implementable non-pharmacological option for clinical management of functional constipation.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "The Affiliated Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital of Jinan University, China"
      ],
      "name": "Fang Lv"
    }
  ],
  "title": "IDDF2026-ABS-0487 Clinical study on the treatment of functional constipation using combined internal organ meridian manipulation and separated-medication moxibustion at the navel",
  "uid": "73b1906a-0754-564d-8dc9-4bb9a0f60355"
}