Clinical Research Progress of Acupuncture Therapy Applied to Primary Dysmenorrhea

Abstract

To observe the clinical research progress of acupuncture therapy treating primary dysmenorrhea, the literatures of clinical research on the acupuncture therapy in treatment of primary dysmenorrhea in recent years were sorted and analyzed in this review. It showed(1)Most of the literature was the observation of the curative effect, the study on the mechanism of acupuncture analgesia for primary dysmenorrhea was still not much.(2)Sanyinjiao(SP6)、Shiqizhui(EX-B8)、Ciliao(BL-32)were the common use for PD treatment while SP6 was the most common out of the three.(3)Warm acupuncture was frequently-used in the syndrome differentiation of TCM, intradermal needling and eye acupuncture was followed.(4)Most of the researches were not completed with follow-ups which resulted was lack of evidence to prove the clinical effect.(5)The foreign literatures reported 2 studies of acupuncture, 3 studies of electro-acupunture and 1 study of eye acupuncture therapy. The review found promising evidence for the use of acupuncture in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea on relieving the menstrual pain. The treatment of primary dysmenorrhea with acupuncture has the advantages of simple and convenient operation, various methods, little toxic and side effects, and has a definite curative effect. We should further improve the design of clinical trials of acupuncture treatment of primary dysmenorrhea in order to elucidate the mechanism of analgesia of acupuncture, and make the acupuncture to be better used in clinical.

分析总结近年来有关针刺疗法治疗原发性痛经的临床研究文献,以明确针刺疗法治疗原发性痛经的临床研究进展。结果发现:(1)大多数文献为疗效观察研究,有关原发性痛经的针刺镇痛机理研究报导尚不多见;(2)三阴交、十七椎、次髎为临床上治疗原发性痛经的常用取穴,其中又以三阴交最为多选,疗效肯定;(3)采用辨证分型的文献报道以温针最为常用,次为皮内针及眼针;(4)多数研究均未设置随访,疗效评定尚欠充分;(5)国外文献报道中单纯毫针针刺2篇、电针3篇、眼针1篇。由此得出的结论为:针刺疗法治疗原发性痛经具有操作简单方便、方法多样、毒副作用小的优势,且疗效确切。今后应进一步完善针刺疗法治疗原发性痛经的临床研究实验设计,以阐明针刺疗法治疗原发性痛经的镇痛机理,使之更好地应用于临床。