OBJECTIVETo explore the therapeutic effect of Chinese medicinal massage with nourishing-Shen and activating-blood manipulation in treating women with climacteric syndrome and its influence on endocrinal function.

METHODSSixty patients were assigned to two groups, the 40 patients in the treated group were treated by Chinese medicinal massage for 20 min once every other day; the 20 patients in the control group were treated by hormone replacement therapy with Premarin 0.625 g, once daily by oral taking. The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated after two-month treatment by changes of serum levels of estradiol (E2), follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and Kupperman index before and after treatment.

RESULTSKupperman index showed that the total symptom score in the treated group was improved from 30.71 +/- 8.43 scores before treatment to 8.21 +/- 5.14 scores after treatment, with a decrement of 22.50 +/- 8.14 scores, which was higher than that in the control group, from 24.32 +/- 5.44 scores to 5.92 +/- 3.58 scores, with a decrement of 18.40 +/- 4.50 scores, the difference between them was statistically significant (t = 2.52, P = 0.014). The serum level of E2 increased in both groups significantly after treatment, from 20.23 +/- 20.78 ng/L to 54.34 +/- 24.26 ng/L in the treated group (t= -2.73, P = 0.006), and from 16.15 +/- 24.40 ng/L to 40.61 +/- 81.54 ng/L in the control group (t = -1.72, P = 0.086), but the difference between groups was statistical insignificant (t= -1.120, P = 0.263). As for levels of FSH and LH, their decrements in the control group (13.16 +/- 11.29 mlU/mL and 10.37 +/- 9.21 mlU/mL) were larger than those in the treated group (4.92 +/- 4.26 mlU/mL and 0.17 +/- 2.42 mlU/mL), respectively (t = - 2.49, P = 0.013; t = - 2.38, P = 0.017).

CONCLUSIONChinese medicinal massage manipulation could improve the Kupperman index of all the 13 symptoms in women with climacteric syndrome, and increase the E2 level in serum.