ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2016
More Than Needles: The Importance of Explanations and Self-Care Advice in Treating Primary Dysmenorrhea with Acupuncture.
Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 27 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 73 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Exercise for dysmenorrhoea.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- The effectiveness of self-care and lifestyle interventions in primary dysmenorrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2019Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Trial
- Trial
- Establishing key components of a combined ayurvedic diet and yoga therapy program for weight management in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a Delphi study.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Article
- Empowering Women Through Knowledge: A Systematic Review of Literature on Menstrual and Reproductive Health Literacy.Health equity · 2025Review
- Therapeutic Physical Exercise for Dysmenorrhea: A Scoping Review.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2024Review
- More than Cramps in Scrubs: Exploring Dysmenorrhea among Women Healthcare Workers.International journal of women's health · 2024Article
- Cold Exposures in Relation to Dysmenorrhea among Asian and White Women.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Reflections on the group dynamic in a group cognitive behavioral therapy intervention for young adult women with moderate to severe dysmenorrhea: a qualitative analysis.Journal of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology · 2023Article
- Acupuncture for endometriosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Integrative medicine research · 2023Review
- A Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Classification Model Based on Cross-Feature Generation by Convolution Neural Network: Model Development and Validation.JMIR medical informatics · 2022Article
- An Aotearoa New Zealand survey of the impact and diagnostic delay for endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Patients' perceptions on non-specific effects of acupuncture: Qualitative comparison between responders and non-responders.Integrative medicine research · 2022Article
- "Should I Inhale?"-Perceptions, Barriers, and Drivers for Medicinal Cannabis Use amongst Australian Women with Primary Dysmenorrhoea: A Qualitative Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- A cross-sectional study of traditional Chinese medicine practitioner's knowledge, treatment strategies and integration of practice of chronic pelvic pain in women.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2021Article
- The Role of Research in Guiding Treatment for Women's Health: A Qualitative Study of Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncturists.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Stroke risk associated with NSAIDs uses in women with dysmenorrhea: A population-based cohort study.PloS one · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background. Primary dysmenorrhea is a common gynaecological condition. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) acupuncturists commonly treat primary dysmenorrhea and dispense specific self-care advice for this condition. The impact of self-care advice on primary dysmenorrhea is unknown. Methods. 19 TCM acupuncture practitioners from New Zealand or Australia and 12 New Zealand women who had recently undergone acupuncture treatment for primary dysmenorrhea as part of a randomised controlled trial participated in this qualitative, pragmatic study. Focus groups and semistructured interviews were used to collect data. These were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic analysis. Results. The overarching theme was that an acupuncture treatment consisted of "more than needles" for both practitioners and participants. Practitioners and participants both discussed the partnership they engaged in during treatment, based on openness and trust. Women felt that the TCM self-care advice was related to positive outcomes for their dysmenorrhea and increased their feelings of control over their menstrual symptoms. Conclusions. Most of the women in this study found improved symptom control and reduced pain. A contributing factor for these improvements may be an increased internal health locus of control and an increase in self-efficacy resulting from the self-care advice given during the clinical trial.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.