Premenstrual syndrome is a common disorder troubling many women during their reproductive years. The Chinese have been using herbal medicines to treat menstrual cycle related symptoms for centuries. Traditional Chinese medicine provides the aetiology and pathogenesis of the symptoms of this disorder by applying Pattern Identification to diagnose the signs and symptoms of individual patients and to design individualised treatments which seek to address the entire pattern/s of disharmony. It follows that PMS, which has many symptoms and an idiosyncratic nature, is precisely an area for which Chinese medicine is most suitable. The aim of this study is to scientifically evaluate the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine on Australian women for the treatment of PMS within the theoretical frame-work of TCM. A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial was conducted by a qualified Chinese herbal practitioner and pharmacist. Following two months confirmatory assessment, sixty-one subjects were assigned randomly into two groups within different TCM patterns of Liver Qi Stagnation, Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency, Liver and Spleen Disharmony and Heart and Spleen Deficiency. Herbal medicine (n=31) and placebo (n=30) were provided sequentially for a period of three months. There were significant differences (p < .01) in scores after three months of treatment between Chinese herbal medicine and placebo in premenstrual physical and psychological symptoms, depression, anxiety and anger, but with no difference in perceived stress (p > .05). There were highly significant reductions (p< .001) in all assessments in both groups except that a significant result (p < .05) was recorded on perceived
Premenstrual syndrome is a common disorder troubling many women during their reproductive years. The Chinese have been using herbal medicines to treat menstrual cycle related symptoms for centuries. Traditional Chinese medicine provides the aetiology and pathogenesis of the symptoms of this disorder by applying Pattern Identification to diagnose the signs and symptoms of individual patients and to design individualised treatments which seek to address the entire pattern/s of disharmony. It follows that PMS, which has many symptoms and an idiosyncratic nature, is precisely an area for which Chinese medicine is most suitable. The aim of this study is to scientifically evaluate the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine on Australian women for the treatment of PMS within the theoretical frame-work of TCM. A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial was conducted by a qualified Chinese herbal practitioner and pharmacist. Following two months confirmatory assessment, sixty-one subjects were assigned randomly into two groups within different TCM patterns of Liver Qi Stagnation, Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency, Liver and Spleen Disharmony and Heart and Spleen Deficiency. Herbal medicine (n=31) and placebo (n=30) were provided sequentially for a period of three months. There were significant differences (p < .01) in scores after three months of treatment between Chinese herbal medicine and placebo in premenstrual physical and psychological symptoms, depression, anxiety and anger, but with no difference in perceived stress (p > .05). There were highly significant reductions (p< .001) in all assessments in both groups except that a significant result (p < .05) was recorded on perceived
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a common disorder of some women during their reproductive years, characterized by a range of cyclical physical and/or mood symptoms experienced during the last few days of each menstrual cycle. Several treatment approaches have been applied, but have shown limited success, as the exact cause and pathophysiology of PMS is still not fully identified. In this paper, the etiology and pathogenesis of PMS is compared from both a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective and the Western biomedicine paradigm. TCM has used herbal medicines to treat the symptoms of the premenstrual and menstrual phases for centuries. To date, very few studies on the application of TCM to PMS have applied rigorous research methods. We examine the case of PMS from each paradigm: The biomedical view and that of TCM. Similarities and differences are identified and explored, and possible treatment approaches are considered and discussed in the light of these two models.
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