Background
Methods
Data sources
Study population
Traditional Chinese medicine treatments
Statistical analysis
Results
Variable | non-TCM seekers | TCM seekers |
p value§
| ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
n = 4779 (10.31%) |
n = 41,558 (89.69%) | ||||
n | % | n | % | ||
Age at baseline | <.0001 | ||||
18–29 | 1813 | 37.94 | 19,241 | 46.3 | |
30–39 | 1424 | 29.8 | 12,032 | 28.95 | |
≥ 40 | 1542 | 32.27 | 10,285 | 24.75 | |
Mean (SD) | 34.84(10.42) | 32.59(9.58) | <.0001‡
| ||
Urbanization levels | 0.0042 | ||||
1 (highest) | 1554 | 32.54 | 12,975 | 31.23 | |
2 | 1509 | 31.6 | 12,944 | 31.16 | |
3 | 780 | 16.33 | 7656 | 18.43 | |
4+ (lowest) | 933 | 19.54 | 7966 | 19.18 | |
Conventional drug use | |||||
Progesteronea
| 2475 | 51.79 | 26,681 | 64.2 | <.0001 |
Estorgen | 2291 | 47.94 | 24,531 | 59.03 | <.0001 |
Combined oral contraceptives | 364 | 7.62 | 4752 | 11.43 | <.0001 |
Danazol | 45 | 0.94 | 766 | 1.84 | <.0001 |
GnRH agonists | 2 | 0.04 | 18 | 0.04 | 0.99$
|
Tranexamic acid | 2861 | 97.51 | 41,335 | 99.51 | <.0001 |
NSAIDs | 4660 | 97.51 | 41,355 | 99.51 | <.0001 |
Surgery in the follow-up periodb
| 0.0184 | ||||
No | 4230 | 88.51 | 36,288 | 87.32 | |
Yes | 549 | 11.49 | 5270 | 12.68 |
Number of TCM visits (times/per year) | Only Chinese herbal medicine | Only Acupuncture or traumatology | Combination of both treatment | Total of TCM seekers (N = 41,558) |
---|---|---|---|---|
N = 18,401 (44.28%) |
N = 130 (0.31%) |
N = 23,027 (55.41%) | ||
n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | |
1–3 | 15,460 (84.02) | 128 (98.46) | 13,925 (60.47) | 29,513 (71.02) |
4–6 | 1255 (6.82) | 0 | 3110 (13.51) | 4367 (10.51) |
>6 | 1689 (9.16) | 2 (1.54) | 5992 (26.02) | 7678 (18.48) |
Disease (ICD-9-CM) | Non-TCM seekers | TCM seekers |
p value* | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Frequency | % | Frequency | % | ||
DUB related | |||||
Anemia (280.9, 281.8, 285.9) | 799 | 16.72 | 9583 | 23.06 | <.0001 |
Menopausal syndrome (627) | 746 | 15.61 | 9071 | 21.83 | <.0001 |
Female infertility (628) | 311 | 6.51 | 5807 | 13.97 | <.0001 |
Complications of pregnancy, child birth and the puerperium (630–676) | 1761 | 36.85 | 18,785 | 45.20 | <.0001 |
DUB unrelated | |||||
Vertigo, dizziness, Meniere’s Syndrome (386, 780.4, 780.7) | 1813 | 37.94 | 25,138 | 60.49 | <.0001 |
Depression, insomnia, sleep disorders (300, 311, 307.4, 780.5) | 1449 | 30.32 | 25,976 | 62.51 | <.0001 |
Migraine and headache (346, 784.0) | 1753 | 36.68 | 27,494 | 66.16 | <.0001 |
Upper respiratory tract infection (460–465, 784.1) | 4475 | 93.64 | 41,111 | 98.92 | <.0001 |
Digestive disorders (536, 564, 787.7) | 2557 | 53.50 | 33,740 | 81.19 | <.0001 |
Pin-yin name | Chinese materia medica name | Botanical name | Indication for TCM syndrome | Frequency of prescription, times (%) | Average daily dose (g) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DUB related | DUB unrelated | |||||
Yi-Mu-Cao | Herba Leonuri | Leonurus heterophyllus Sweet | Menstrual irregularities due to blood stasis with edema | 4341 (0.08) | 6.9 | |
Xiang-Fu | Rhizoma Cyperi |
Cyperus rotundus L | Irregular menstruation because of liver qi stagnation | Breast distention | 2802 (0.05) | 6.5 |
Yan-Hu-Suo | Rhizoma Corydalis | Corydalis yanhusuo W. T. Wang | Irregular menstruation because of liver qi stagnation | Pain relief | 1742 (0.03) | 6.6 |
Du-Zhong | Cortex Eucommiae Ulmoidis | Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. | Deficiency in liver and kidney | Weakness of muscles, tendons, and bones | 1617 (0.03) | 7.6 |
Xian-He-Cao | Herba Agrimoniae |
Agrimonia eupatoria L. var. pilosa Mak | Excessive bleeding | 1504 (0.03) | 6.8 | |
Dan-Shen | Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae | Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. | Irregular menstruation because of blood and qi stagnation | Pain relief | 1477 (0.03) | 7.9 |
Nu-Zhen-Zi | Fructus Ligustri Lucidi |
Ligustrum lucidum
| Yin deficiency in liver and kidney | 1213 (0.02) | 7.2 | |
Xu-Duan | Radix Dipsaci | Dipsacus asperoides, C. Y.Chent et TM Ai | Deficiency in liver and kidney | Weakness of muscles, tendons, and bones | 1191 (0.02) | 7.2 |
Tu-Si-Zi | Semen Cuscutae Chinensis | Cuscuta chinensis Lam. | Yin deficiency in liver and kidney, infertility | 1133 (0.02) | 7.0 | |
Chuan-Lian-Zi | Fructus Meliae Toosendan |
Melia azedarach L. sub. Var. Toosendan Makino | Liver qi stagnation | Pain relief | 1028 (0.02) | 6.7 |
Pin-yin name | English name | Constitutions | Indication for TCM syndrome | Frequency of prescription, times (%) | Average daily dose (g) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pin-yin name | Chinese material medica name | Botanical name | DUB related | DUB unrelated | ||||
Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San | Bupleurum and Peony Formula | Dang-Gui | Radix Angelicae Sinensis | Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels | Irregular menstruation because of spleen qi deficiency and liver blood deficiency with heat, liver qi stagnation | Irritability, abdominal pain, depression | 7654 (0.14) | 7.3 |
Fu-Ling | Poria, | Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf | ||||||
Zhi-Zi | Fructus Gardeniae |
Gardenia jasminoides J.Ellis | ||||||
Bo-He | Herba Menthae Haplocalycis | Mentha haplocalyx Briq.Field | ||||||
Bai-Shao | Radix Paeoniae Alba |
Paeonia lactiflora Pall | ||||||
Chai-Hu | Radix Bupleuri | Bupleurum chinense DC. | ||||||
Gan-Cao | Radix Glycyrrhizae | Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch | ||||||
Bai-Zhu | Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae | Atractylis macrocephala Koidz | ||||||
Mu-Dan-Pi | Cortex Moutan Radicis |
Paeonia suffruticosa Andr. | ||||||
Wei-Jiang | Rhizoma Zingiberis officinales |
Zingiber officinale Rosc. | ||||||
Dang-Gui-Shao-Yao-San | Dang Gui and Peony Powder | Dang-Gui | Radix Angelicae Sinensis | Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels | Liver blood deficiency | Abdominal pain, dizziness, edema with inhibited urination | 3147 (0.06) | 6.6 |
Fu-Ling | Poria | Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf | ||||||
Bai-Shao | Radix Paeoniae Alba | Paeonia lactiflora Pall. | ||||||
Bai-Zhu | Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae | Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz | ||||||
Chuan-Xiong | Rhizoma Chuanxiong | Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. | ||||||
Ze-Xie | Rhizoma Alismatis |
Alisma plantago-aquatica L. | ||||||
Gui-Zhi- Fu-Ling-Wan | Cinnamon and Poria Pills | Gui-Zhi | Ramulus Cinnamomi Cassiae |
Cinnamomum cassia Blume | Blood stasis in pelvic cavity | Lower abdominal pain | 2841 (0.05) | 6.6 |
Fu-Ling | Poria | Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf | ||||||
Mu-Dan-Pi | Cortex Moutan Radicis | Paeonia suffruticosa Andr. | ||||||
Chi-Shao | Radix Paeoniae Lactiforae | Paeonia lactiflora Pall. | ||||||
Tao-Ren | Semen Persicae |
Prunus persica (L.) Batsch. | ||||||
Wen-Jing-Tang | Flow warming decoction | Wu-Zhu-Yu | Fructus Evodiae Rutaecarpae | Evodia rutaecarpa (Juss.) Benth. | Blood stasis | 2345 (0.04) | 6.7 | |
Gui-Zhi | Ramulus Cinnamomi Cassiae | Cinnamomum cassia Blume | ||||||
Dang-Gui | Raidx Angelicae Sinensis | Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels | ||||||
Chuan-Xiong | Radix Chuanxiong | Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. | ||||||
Bai-Shao | Radix Paeoniae Alba | Paeonia lactiflora Pall. | ||||||
E-Jiao | Colla Corii Asini |
Equus asinus L. | ||||||
Mai-Men-Dong | Tuber Ophiopogonis Japonici | Ophiopogon japonicas (Thunb.) Ker_Gawl | ||||||
Mu-Dan-Pi | Cortex Moutan Radicis | Paeonia suffruticosa Andr. | ||||||
Ren-Shen | Radix Ginseng |
Panax ginseng C. A. Mey | ||||||
Gan-Cao | Radix Glycyrrhizae | Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch | ||||||
Sheng-Jiang | Rhizoma Zingiberis officinales | Zingiber officinale Rosc. | ||||||
Ban-Xia | Rhizoma Pinelliae Ternatae | Pinellia ternate (Thunb.) Breit | ||||||
Xiong-Guei-Jiao-Ai-Tang | Decoction of Donkey-Skin Glue and Artemisia | Chuan-Xiong | Rhizoma Chuanxiong | Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. | Blood deficiency | Prevents miscarriage | 3147 (0.06) | 6.4 |
Dang-Gui | Raidx Angelicae Sinensis | Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels | ||||||
E-Jiao | Colla Corii Asini | Equus asinus L. | ||||||
Gan-Cao | Radix Glycyrrhizae | Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch | ||||||
Shu-Di-Huang | Radix Rehmanniae | Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch | ||||||
Bai-Shao | Radix Paeoniae Alba | Paeonia lactiflora Pall | ||||||
Ai-Ye | Folium Artemnisiae Argyi | Artemisia argyi Levl. et Vant. | ||||||
Gui-Pi-Tang | Restore the Spleen Decoction | Ren-Shen | Radix Ginseng | Panax ginseng C. A. Mey | Blood deficiency, vaginal spotting because of qi deficiency | Diarrhea because of qi deficiency in spleen | 1812 (0.03) | 6.7 |
Long-Yan-Rou | Arillus Euphoriae Longanae | Dimocarpus longans Lour. | ||||||
Huang-Qi | Radix Astragali | Astragalus henryi Oliv. | ||||||
Gan-Cao | Radix Glycyrrhizae | Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch | ||||||
Bai-Zhu | Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae | Atractylis macrocephala Koidz | ||||||
Fu-Ling | Poria | Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf | ||||||
Mu-Xiang | Radix Aucklandiae | Aucklandia lappa DC. | ||||||
Dang-Gui | Raidx Angelicae Sinensis | Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels | ||||||
Suan-Zao-Ran | Semen Zizyphi Spinosae | Ziziphus jujube var. Spinosa (Bunge) Hu ex H. F. Chow | ||||||
Yuan-Zhi | Radix Polygalae Tenuifoliae | Polygala tenuifolia Willd. | ||||||
Sheng-Jiang | Radix Zingiberis officinalis | Zingiber officinale Rosc. | ||||||
Da-Zao | Fructus Zizyphi Jujube | |||||||
Ziziphus jujuba Mill. | ||||||||
Si-Wu-Tang | Four Substances Decoction | Shu-Di-Huang | Radix Rehmanniae | Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch | Blood deficiency | 1554 (0.03) | 6.9 | |
Bai-Shao | Radix Paeoniae Alba | Paeonia lactiflora Pall | ||||||
Dang-Gui | Radix Angelicae Sinensis | Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels | ||||||
Chuan-Xiong | Rhizoma Chuanxiong | Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. | ||||||
Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang | Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction | Huang-Qi | Radix Astragali | Astragalus henryi Oliv. | Vaginal spotting because of qi deficiency | Weakness because of qi deficiency | 1317 (0.02) | 6.7 |
Ran-Shen | Radix Ginseng | Panax ginseng C. A. Mey | ||||||
Bai-Zhu | Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae | Atractylis macrocephala Koidz | ||||||
Gan-Cao | Radix Glycyrrhizae | Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch | ||||||
Dang-Gui | Radix Angelicae Sinensis | Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels | ||||||
Chen-Pi | Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae | Citrus reticulate Blanco | ||||||
Sheng-Ma | Radix Cimicifugae | Cimicifuga foetida, L. var., intermedia, Regel | ||||||
Chai-Hu | Radix Bupleuri | Bupleurum chinense DC. | ||||||
Liu-Wei-Di-Huang-Wan | Six Ingredient Pill with Rehmannia | Shu-Di-Huang | Radix Rehmanniae | Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch | Deficiency in liver and kidney | 1286 (0.02) | 7.2 | |
Shan-Zhu-Yu | Fructus corni officinalis |
Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. | ||||||
Shan-Yao | Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae | Dioscorea opposite Thunb. | ||||||
Fu-Ling | Poria | Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf | ||||||
Mu-Dan-Pi | Cortex Moutan Radicix | Paeonia suffruticosa Andr. | ||||||
Ze-Xie | Rhizoma Alismatis | Alisma orientale (Sam.)Juzep. | ||||||
Shao-Fu-Zhu-Yu-Tang | Drive Out Stasis from the Lower Abdomen Decoction | Xiao-Hui-Xiang | Fructus Foenichli Vulgaris |
Foeniculum vulgare Mill. | Blood stasis and qi stagnation | 1030 (0.02) | 7.8 | |
Pao-Jiang | Rhizoma Zingiberis officinales | Zingiber officinale Rosc. | ||||||
Yan-Hu-Suo | Rhizoma Corydalis | Corydalis yanhusuo W. T. Wang | ||||||
Dang-Gui | Radis Angelicae Sinensis | Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels | ||||||
Chuan-Xiong | Rhizoma Chuanxiong | Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. | ||||||
Mo-Yao | Myrrh | Commiphora molmol, Engi. | ||||||
Rou-Gui | Ramulus Cinnamomi Cassiae | Cinnamomum cassia Blume | ||||||
Chi-Shao | Radix Paeoniae Lactiflorae | Paeonia lactiflora Pall. | ||||||
Pu-Huang | Pollen Typhae |
Typha angustifolia L. | ||||||
Wu-Ling-Zhi | excrementum Trogopteri Xanthipes |
Trogopterus xanthipes Milne-Edwards |