Observation On The Clinical Efficacy Of Treating Premenstrual Syndrome Based On The Theory Of The Foot-yangming Stomach Meridian

ObjectivePre-menstrual syndrome(PMS)is a common and frequent disease in women of childbearing age,the causes and pathogenesis of which are still unclear in modern times.Commonly used treatment methods are medication for symptomatic treatment and supportive therapy.There have been a lot of studies showing the obvious advantages of TCM in the treatment of PMS,and now we are going to discuss the treatment of PMS from the approach of the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming(ST).The efficacy of the syndrome was investigated by observing the improvement in the subjects’ symptoms over the course of the trial and comparing the experimental group with the control group in order to investigate the acupuncture is a more effective clinical treatment for premenstrual syndrome.MethodForty eligible patients with premenstrual syndrome were included in the treatment and randomized into an experimental(n=20)and control group(n=20).The trial used disposable acupuncture filiform needles.The main acupoints of the experimental group:Touwei(ST8)of the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming,Huayoumen(ST24)of the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming,Tianshu(ST25)of the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming,Zusanli(ST36)of the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming,Neiguan(PC6)of the Pericardium Meridian of Hand Jueyin.Extra acupoints added according to the symptoms:for headache and dizziness,add Fengchi(GB20)of the Gallbladder Meridian of Foot Shaoyang and Taiyang(EX-HN5);for insomnia and hypersomnia,add Daling(PC7)of the Pericardium Meridian of Hand Jueyin and Sishenong(EX-HN1);for breast pain,add Jianjing(GB21)of the Gallbladder Meridian of Foot Shaoyang and Tanzhong(RN17)of the Conception Vessel;for mood disorder for irritability,add Shuigou(DU26)of the Governor Vessel and Shenting(DU24);for diarrhea,add Tianshu(ST25)of the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming and Shangjuxu(ST37)of Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming.Manipulations:using even reinforcing-reducing method,retain the needles for 20 minutes.The main acupoints in the control group:Baihui(DU20)of the Governor Vessel,Shenmen(HT7)of the Heart Meridian of Hand Shaoyin,Sanyinjiao(SP6)of the Spleen meridian of Foot Taiyin,Taichong(LR3)of the Liver meridian of Foot Jueyin.Extra acupoints added according to the symptoms in the control group were the same as those in the experimental group.The manipulations were the same as the experimental group.The treatment was conducted twice a week for 20 minutes each time,with an interval of>48 hours between the two treatments.Treatment was discontinued on days 1-3 of menstruation.Data were collected at three time points:before treatment,after 4 weeks of treatment and at the end of treatment.The experimental and control groups were analyzed by comparing the symptom improvement before and after treatment was evaluated for clinical efficacy of the final outcome of the treatment.Experimental ResultAfter 8 weeks of treatment.the total effective rate of acupuncture for premenstrual syndrome was 85%,while the total effective rate in the control group was 90%,both methods were proved effective in treating PMS.The total Daily Record of Severity of Problems(DRSP)score in the experimental group decreased from 252.25±57.42 before treatment to 123.95±47.47 points after treatment;individual TCM symptoms rating scale for premenstrual syndrome:symptom of irritability decreased from 3.90±1.65 before treatment to 1.40±1.47 points after treatment;symptom of depressed decreased from 4.10± 1.77 to 1.60± 1.23 points;symptom of breast pain decreased from 4.00± 1.30 to 1.50±1.10 points;symptom of headache decreased from 1.40± 1.60 to 0.3 0± 1.23 points;symptom of insomnia decreased from 1.50 ± 0.76 points to 0.70 ± 0.57 points;symptom of abdominal distension decreased from 1.80±0.83 to 0.60 ± 0.60 points;symptom of fatigue decreased from 1.80 ± 0.62 points to 0.90 ± 0.45 points;symptom of limb swelling decreased from 1.50 ± 0.95 points to 0.50±0.61 points;symptom of reduced work capacity decreased from 1.80± 0.52 points to 0.55 ±0.61 points;symptom of having inattentive thoughts decreased from 1.55± 0.69 to 0.30± 0.66 points.The top three symptoms with the highest improvement in individual symptom scores were,in descending order,"having inattentive thoughts"(81%)," headache"(79%)and"reduced work capctity"(69%).In terms of improvement in quality of life,the DRSP score for "the impact on daily living”increased from 18.10 ± 1.5 before treatment decreased to 7.65 ± 3.65 points after treatment.The score on the "effect on social activity" scale decreased from 17.65 ± 5.66 to 7.70±3.40 points and the "impact on relationships" score decreased from 17.65 ± 6.34 to 6.75 ± 3.21 points.The total DRSP score in the control group decreased from 243.95 ± 63.76 points before treatment to 120.00± 33.85 points after treatment;individual TCM symptoms rating scale for premenstrual syndrome:symptom of irritability decreased from 4.50 ± 1.82 before treatment to 1.80 ± 1.58 points;symptom of depressed decreased from 3.40 ±1.60 to 1.30 ± 0.98 points;symptom of breast pain decreased from 4.20 ± 1.45 points before treatment to 1.90 ± 1.58 points;symptom of headache decreased from 1.20 ±1.51 points before treatment to 0.40 ± 1.05 points;symptom of insomnia decreased from 1.50 ± 0.89 decreased to 0.80 ± 0.70;symptom of abdominal distension decreased from 1.80 ± 0.77 points to 0.45 ± 0.61 points;symptom of fatigue decreased from 1.65 ± 0.75 points before treatment to 0.75± 0.79 points;symptom of limb swelling decreased from 1.50±0.76 to 0.45 ± 0.61 points;symptom of reduced work capacity decreased from 1.70 ± 0.47 to 0.70 ± 0.73 points;symptom of having inattentive thoughts decreased from 1.45±0.89 to 0.35±0.67 points.The top three symptoms with the highest improvement in individual symptom scores were,in descending order,"inattentive thoughts"(76%),“abdominal distention"(75%)and"swelling of the limbs"(70%).In terms of improvement in quality of life,the DRSP score for "impact on daily living" decreased from 16.76±1.5 before treatment to 7.75± 3.37 points after treatment,and the "effect on social activity" score decreased from 17.05±5.75 decreased to 7.25±2.90 and the "impact on relationships" score decreased from 17.40±5.91 points to 6.50±2.50 points.Statistically significant comparison of total DRSP scores before and after treatment:P<0.05 for within-group comparison P>0.05 for comparison between groups,it cannot be considered that there is a difference in the treatment efficacy between the experimental and control groups.No patients had adverse effects in the trial.Conclusion and SignificanceIn the experimental group,main acupoints used include Touwei(ST8),Huaroumen(ST24)Tianshu(ST25),and Zusanli(ST36),all of those above belongs to the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming;and Neiguan(PC6).In the control group,the main acupoints used include:Baihui(DU20),Shenmen(HT7),Sanyinjiao(SP6)and Taichong(LR3).In both groups,the same extra acupoints according to the symptoms were used:for headache and dizziness,add Fengchi(GB20)and Taiyang(EX-HN5);for insomnia and hypersomnia,add Daling(PC7)and Sishenong(EX-HN1);for breast pain,add Jianjing(GB21)and Tanzhong(RN17);for mood disorder for irritability,add Shuigou(DU26)and Shenting(DU24);for diarrhea,add Tianshu(ST25)and Shangjuxu(ST37).All of them were treated by even reinforcing-reducing method,retaining the needles for 20 minutes.After analyzing the data,the results indicated that the clinical effect of the treatment of premenstrual syndrome by acupuncturing the acupoints of the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming was satisfactory.Patients with premenstrual syndrome have better symptoms and may improve their quality of life.The efficacy was not significantly different from that of the control group,suggesting that this theoretical approach and conventional treatment are both effective in improving the symptoms of PMS and the quality of life.This study provides a new therapeutic direction for the clinical treatment of premenstrual syndrome.This trial provides a certain basis for the clinical treatment of premenstrual syndrome and many other related diseases form the approach of the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming.This theoretical approach will be worthy of clinical promotion after more standardized research in the future.