🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB), commonly known as "gongxue" in Traditional Chinese Medicine, is a frequent gynecological condition caused by ovarian dysfunction leading to abnormal uterine bleeding. It falls under the category of "epistaxis" and "metrorrhagia" in TCM. TCM views the human body as an integrated whole. Menstrual disorders are common menstrual cycle irregularities. Dr. Huang Qiuxian, Deputy Director of the Acupuncture Department at Harbin No.1 Hospital, and Dr. Zhang Zuofeng, attending physician in obstetrics and gynecology, based on principles of regulating qi and blood circulation, balancing yin and yang, and reinforcing the body while eliminating pathogenic factors, adopted timed acupuncture to treat DUB. They conducted serum hormone measurements before and after treatment in patients with anovulatory DUB, achieving excellent results. In this study, 51 patients diagnosed with DUB due to ovarian dysfunction were selected from the hospital’s gynecology department. Age ranged from 15 to 54 years old. Among them, 24 had been ill for one year, 21 for 1–10 years, and 6 for over 10 years. Nine were infertile, ten had history of artificial abortion, and twenty were unmarried. Prior to acupuncture, 11 patients had continuous bleeding lasting 7–15 days, 19 for 16–30 days, and 21 for more than 30 days. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: timed acupuncture group and non-timed acupuncture group. The treatment group used time-based acupoint selection based on syndrome differentiation, primarily using the "Nazi method," with daily acupuncture at Chen (7–9 AM) and Yi (9–11 AM). First, the flowing meridian points were needled, then supplementary points adapted to the condition were added. Main points included Yinxue (SP1), Zusanli (ST36), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Pishu (BL20), Weishu (BL21). After hemostasis, additional points such as Shenshu (BL23), Guanyuan (CV4), and Qihai (CV6) were added. Needles used were 26–28 gauge. After insertion, tonification or dispersion was applied according to deficiency or excess. Depth varied depending on body type. After obtaining Qi, tonification or dispersion techniques were applied, and moxa wool was pinched onto the needle handle and ignited at the top, performing warm acupuncture—three moxa cones per point, each lasting about 6–7 minutes. Retained needles for 30 minutes, with 10 sessions constituting one course, limited to three courses. Results showed 73% achieved significant effect (hemostasis within 7 days), and 27% effective (hemostasis within 7–10 days).
This study indicates that timed warm acupuncture effectively stops bleeding quickly, significantly increases red blood cell count and hemoglobin levels; it also markedly reduces elevated follicle-stimulating hormone and raises low progesterone levels in DUB patients, especially showing significant elevation in estradiol. The mechanism of timed acupuncture lies in regulating the disordered hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis function and adjusting serum hormones, consistent with modern medicine's use of estrogen therapy for DUB. However, hormonal therapy may cause withdrawal bleeding, and high-dose estrogen use could increase cancer risk. Timed warm acupuncture avoids these drawbacks while achieving excellent therapeutic effects.