title: Kampo in women's health: Japan's traditional approach to premenstrual symptoms.
abstract: Kampo is Japan's traditional herbal medicine and it is an integral part of the official Westernized medical system in Japan. We describe the Kampo approach to premenstrual symptoms. We present 3 clinical cases of women treated for premenstrual discomforts in a Kampo clinic in Japan. Each of these women reported improvement in their conditions. We argue that Kampo is well-suited for treatment of premenstrual symptoms in Japan and deserves the attention of Western clinicians for three reasons: (1) patient-centered Kampo diagnosis allows physicians to handle subjective and culture-bound symptoms that are often ignored by Western medicine; (2) Kampo herbal formulas are regulated by the Japanese government, and are pure and of high quality; and (3) the settings in which Kampo is practiced set a stage for therapeutic collaboration between the doctor and the patient.
authors.affiliation: Center for Kampo Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yana
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gepshtein
authors.forename: Gregory A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Plotnikoff
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D020835:Medicine, Kampo; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011293:Premenstrual Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal