[Randomized controlled clinical study on ginger-partitioned moxibustion for patients with cold-damp stagnation type primary dysmenorrhea].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of ginger-partitioned moxibustion in the treatment of patients with primary dysmenorrhea (PD) of cold-damp stagnation type. METHODS: A total of 209 PD patients were randomized into moxibustion group (n=105) and control group (medication group, n=104). Patients of the former group were treated with ginger-partitioned moxibustion at Shenque (CV 8) and Guanyuan (CV 4), once daily for 3 days in the first menstrual cycle, and 3 days before menstruation and once daily for 6 days in the 2nd and 3rd menstrual cycles, and those of control group were asked to take Yueyueshu Granules (a Chinese herbal patent drug for relieving PD). Clinical symptom scores were assessed before and after the treatment. RESULTS: After the treatment, of the 105 and 104 cases in the moxibustion and control groups, the cured, markedly effective, effective and failed cases were 58 (55.24%) and 32 (30.77%), 37 (35.24%) and 33 (31.73%), 5 (4.76%) and 24 (23.08%), and 5 (4.76%) and 15 (14.42%), respectively. The total therapeutic effect of moxibustion group wassignificantly better than that of control group (P<0.01). The effects of moxibustion for relieving mild, moderate and severe dysmenorrhea were evidently superior to those of medication (P<0.01). The symptom scores after the treatment and 3 months of post-treatment in moxibustion group were significantly lower than those of control group (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Ginger-partitioned moxibustion therapy was effective for PD of cold-damp stagnation type.

[Effects of substance-partitioned moxibustion on plasma beta-EP content in the patient with primary dysmenorrhea of cold-damp stagnation type in the menstrual period].

OBJECTIVE: To probe into the mechanism of substance-partitioned moxibustion in treatment of primary dysmenorrhea (PD) of cold-damp stagnation type. METHODS: The treatment group (105 cases of PD) were treated with substance-partitioned moxibustion and the control group (104 cases) were treated with Chinese drug Yueyue-shu. Their therapeutic effects were observed. Plasma beta-endorphin contents in menstrual period were determined before and after treatment in 40 patients of each group. RESULTS: The total effective rate of 95.2% in the substance partitioned moxibustion group was better than 85.6% in the control group (P < 0.05); after treatment, plasma beta-endorphin content significantly increased in the substance-partitioned moxibustion group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Substance-partitioned moxibustion has obvious therapeutic effect on primary dysmenorrhea of cold-damp stagnation type, which is carried out possibly through regulating the plasma beta-endorphin content as one of the mechanisms.