Effect of Qi-therapy on premenstrual syndrome

Objective

Qi-therapy is an oriental complementary therapy used in preventing and curing disease, strengthening health and improving the human potentiality through regulation of the body. A retrospective community survey estimated that, in Korea, 79.4% of women have suffered from symptoms and 97.7% experienced at least one premenstrual symptom. This study assessed the effects of Qi-therapy (QT) on premenstrual symptoms in women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

Materials and methods

Forty-six college women were randomly allocated to receive QT (20.91 years old, n = 23) or control (21.77 years old, n = 22). The experimental group received QT nine times during 3rd and 4th cycle and completed a PMS diary; the control group completed only the diary. Pain, depression and anxiety level with visual analogue scale (VAS) were also measured to explore the participants’ response to Qi-therapy.

Results

Total PMS scores were significantly lower at postmenses than premenses (P = 0.0001). Significant differences were found between premenses and postmenses scores in all five categories (negative feeling, P = 0.002; pain, P = 0.0001; autonomic reactions, P = 0.0002; water retention, P = 0.0001; behavioural change, P = 0.002). In the category of pain, the difference between premenses and postmenses was significantly higher in the control group compared with QT group (P = 0.036). There were more remarkable reductions in pain, depression and anxiety in the experimental group than in the control group (pain, P = 0.001; depression, P = 0.0001; anxiety, P = 0.0005).

Conclusion

This study showed that Qi-therapy reduces the level of pain, depression, anxiety, and symptoms of PMS. Hence it may be useful to develop Qi-therapy programmes as a nursing intervention for PMS.

(This research was supported by the Brain Korea 21 Project in 2002.)