Ma Liangxiao

Comparative study on skin temperature response to menstruation at acupuncture points in healthy volunteers and primary dysmenorrhea patients

Abstract Objective To assess skin temperature response to menstruation at acupuncture points in primary dysmenorrhea (PD) patients and healthy volunteers so as to explore acupuncture point specificity in reflecting diseases in the light of skin temperature. Methods Fifty-two PD patients and 49 healthy volunteers were recruited. Skin temperature measurements were performed with a skin temperature assessment device at 10 points. Absolute difference between skin temperature of the same point on the left and right side is used as main outcome measure. Results On the first day of menstruation, when menstrual pain attacking in PD patients, a significant increase in skin temperature difference was detected at Taixi (KI 3) compared with the healthy group (P 0.05). Conclusion The skin temperature difference at menstruation-relevant points in PD patients did not all change significantly more than those in women without PD. Significant difference was only found in Taixi (KI 3), the Yuan-source point of Kidney meridian.

Immediate analgesic effect of needling acupoints（bilateral De Qi vs unilateral De Qi） on primary dysmenorrhea： a multi-center, randomized, controlled trail

OBJECTIVE To analyze the effect of needling acupoints (bilateral vs unilateral) with De Qi using data collected from 501 primary dysmenorrhea (PD) patients participating in multi-center, randomized, controlled trail. METHODS De Qi was defined as at least one of the feelings in soreness, numbness, fullness or heaviness at the acupoints when stimulated with needles. The 501 patients were grouped in 3 groups in terms of De Qi or not De Qi in one side (unilateral) or both sides (bilateral) of the body: bilateral De Qi group, unilateral De Qi group, and non-De Qi group. The abdominal pains were measured using visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS In 501 patients, 472 acquired De Qi at unilateral acupoints, 24 De Qi at bilateral acupoint, and 5 had no De Qi at any acupoint. The data of non-De Qi group was excluded as the sample was less than 5% of that in the bilateral De Qi group. There was significant difference in the VAS before and after treatment between unilateral and bilateral De Qi group (P < 0.01). After stratified by acupoints, for the patients needled at Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Xuanzhong (GB 39), VAS scores in the bilateral De Qi group were larger than those in the unilateral De Qi group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Bilateral De Qi was possibly superior to unilateral De Qi in enhancing the immediate analgesic effect of needling the acupoints, but no statistical significance was observed on the patients of needling at non acupoint, which preliminarily suggested this immediate analgesic effect was perhaps along meridians.