The Clinical Study Of Gua Sha Therapy On Perimenopausal Syndrome

[Objective]This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Gua sha therapy on perimenopausal symptoms,quality of life and serum female hormones in patients with perimenopausal syndrome.[Methods]A randomized,controlled clinical trial was conducted at the Jiangsu Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China.Eighty participants who visited the gynecological clinic at Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were recruited from January to November 2015.Eighty women with perimenopausal syndrome were recruited and randomized into an experimental group or a control group,40 cases in each one.Participants in both of the two groups received Qingxin Zishen Tang for oral administration,which mainly consists of uncaria,coptis chinensis,lotus plumule,dens draconis,blighted wheat,etc,one dose a day,morning and evening hours service for 2 courses with 4 weeks in a course.Patients in the experimental group received 15-minute Gua sha treatment sessions once a week plus conventional treatment for 8 weeks,the Urinary Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang,Heart Meridian of Hand-Shaoyin and Kidney Meridian of Foot-Shaoyin were scraped,especially on the Back-shu points,Shenmen,Yongquan,Taixi,Zhaohai,Sanyinjiao,Zusanli,etc.The primary outcome was the change in perimenopausal symptoms and quality of life as obtained through the modified Kupperman Index(KI)and the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life(MENQOL).The secondary outcome was the change of serum female hormones including estrogen(E2),follicle stimulating hormone(FSH)and luteinizing hormone(LH).[Results]Seventy-five out of 80 participants(93.8%)completed the study-38 in the experimental group and 37 in the control group.The baseline levels of demographic and outcome measurements were comparable between the two groups(P>0.05).However,after eight sessions of intervention,the reduction in the total modified KI score was 16.32±4.38 in the experimental group and 11.46±5.96 in the control group,with a difference of 4.86±6.15(P<0.01)between the two groups.Also the reductions of hot flash/sweating,paresthesia,insomnia,nervousness,melancholia,fatigue and headache were greater in the experimental group than the control group(P<0.05).The reduction in the total MENQOL score was 17.87±3.84 in the experimental group and 13.62±7.40 in the control group,with a difference of 4.46±7.52(P<0.01)between the two groups.And the scores for vasomotor,psychosocial and physical domains in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).The serum E2 level tended to increase and the serum FSH and LH levels tended to decrease in the experimental group,but these changes did not significantly differ from the changes in the control group.[Conclusions]The results of this study suggest that Gua sha therapy was effective and safe in relieving perimenopausal symptoms and improving the quality of life in patients with perimenopausal syndrome.The therapy may serve as a promising,effective,non-drug treatment for perimenopausal syndrome in clinical work.Additional research is needed to better understand its effectiveness and examine its mechanism for treating perimenopausal syndrome.