Korean J Women Health Nurs.  2001 Dec;7(4):610-621.

The Effect of Hand Acupuncture Therapy and Moxibustion Heat Therapy on Dysmenorrhea Women

• Kim SO
• Cho SH

Abstract

In order to find out whether Hand Acupuncture Therapy and Moxibustion Heat Therapy is effective to relieve dysmenorrhea syndrome, we performed a Quasi-experiment on a group of fourty females. The experiment was carried out during the period from April 20 to August 20, 1999. The group was divided into two sub-groups called "a Hand Acupuncture Therapy sub-group" and "a Moxibustion Heat Therapy sub-group" consisting of 20 females respectively. Hand Acupuncture Therapy and Moxibustion Heat Therapy were performed four times a week. Especially, in case of Moxibustion Heat Therapy, subjects were treated twice a times. The data analyzed by an SAS program. The results are as follows 1) Hand Acupuncture Therapy and Moxibustion Heat Therapy are very effective to relieve dysmenorrhea syndrome. This study shows that in case of Hand Acupuncture Therapy sub-group, supposing that mean score of Menorrhalgia before treatment was 7.85, it became low to 4.50 when. subjects suffered the first menstruation and it was 2.50 at the second menstruation, and 1.60 at the third menstruation. In the mean score of Moxibustion Heat Therapy sub-group, Menorrhalgia before treatment was 7.85, it was 5.90 at the first menstruation(p<.05), and 3.00 at the second, and 1.85 at the third menstruation. 2) Among Hand Acupuncture Therapy subgroup, 9 subjects could hardly be relieved from the pain of dysmenorrhea at the first menstruation. So, they were treated additionally with the method of tonification and sedation of abdominal diagnosis of three constitution and became completely relieved at second menstruation. Meanwhile, 7 subj ects among Moxibustion Heat Therapy also faced the same situation. So they were treated with Moxibustion on dorsum of hand and got effectiveness at the third menstruation after taking therapy. 3) Odinary dysmenorrhea syndrome are constipation, dizziness, anorexia, abdominal pain, lumbago, breast engorgement, abdominal distention, dysconcentration, nervousness, diarrhea, nausea & vomitting, apathy, restlessness, fatigue, aggression, leg pain, edema. After taking therapy, all of subjects were relieved from these dysrnenorrhea syndrome at third menstruation. 4) All subjects were classified into five types of physical constitution with abdominal diagnosis of three constitution as follows: 18 cases of left kidney right yang excess, 8 cases of left yin right yang excess, 7 cases of left right kidney excess, 5 cases of left right yang excess, 2 cases of left yang right kidney excess.

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Pain
Acupuncture Therapy*
Acupuncture*
Aggression
Anorexia
Anxiety
Apathy
Breast
Constipation
Constitution and Bylaws
Diagnosis
Diarrhea
Dizziness
Dysmenorrhea*
Edema
Fatigue
Female
Hand*
Hot Temperature*
Humans
Kidney
Leg
Low Back Pain
Menstruation
Moxibustion*
Nausea
Psychomotor Agitation