[Clinical observation on medicine-separated moxibustion for treatment of primary dysmenorrhea and study on the mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To observe clinical therapeutic effect of medicine-separated moxibustion on primary dysmenorrhea and study on the mechanism. METHODS: Ninety-six cases of primary dysmenorrhea were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group, 48 cases in each group. They were treated respectively with medicine-separated moxibustion and Yueyueshu Perfusing Powder for 3 consecutive months. RESULTS: The markedly effective and cured rate and the total effective rate were 87.5% and 100.0% in the treatment group, and 29.2% and 83.8% in the control group with significant differences between the two groups (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05). After treatment, blood prosglanding F2 content in menorrhea blood and oxytocin level in plasma during menstruation decreased significantly as compared with those before treatment (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The medicine-separated moxibustion has a reliable therapeutic effect on primary dysmenorrhea and the therapeutic effect is exerted possibly by regulating abnormal prosglanding and oxytocin levels in the patient.