Randomised trial, 2003
Does Qi therapy reduce PMS symptoms?
Yes. Women who received Qi therapy had significant reductions in pain, depression, and anxiety compared to controls, though this was a small pilot study.
What they did
A randomized trial of 46 college women. 23 received Qi therapy (a healing technique) and 23 were controls. The Qi therapy group received 12 minutes of Qi therapy 5 times: on days 7, 4, and 1 before menstruation, and on days 7 and 14 after menstruation. The control group spent the same time in a relaxation procedure. Pain, depression, and anxiety were measured using a standard scale.
What they found
There were significant reductions in pain, depression, and anxiety in the Qi therapy group compared with control.
What it means for you
Qi therapy may help reduce pain, depression, and anxiety in PMS. This is a small exploratory study, and the control group also received a treatment (relaxation), so we cannot tell if Qi therapy is better than general relaxation. We also do not know how long benefits last.
46
college women studied
23
women who received Qi therapy
12 minutes
duration per session
About the study
- Original title
- An exploratory pilot study of Qi-therapy (External Qi Healing) on symptoms of premenstrual syndrome
- Authors
- Hye-Sook Lee Jang
- Journal
- Oriental Pharmacy and Experimental Medicine
- Year
- 2003
- Study design
- Randomised trial
- Participants
- 23
- What was tested
- Qi therapy 12 minutes per session, 5 sessions around menstruation
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.3742/opem.2003.3.4.212
Topics
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