The complementary and alternative medicine for endometriosis: a review of utilization and mechanism.
Endometriosis (EM) is one of the common gynecological conditions causing menstrual and pelvic pain and affects 10%-15% of women of reproductive age. In recent years, the complementary and alternative medical (CAM) treatment for EM has become popular due to the few adverse reactions reported. The CAM therapy for EM includes several different treatments such as herbs (herbal prescription, extract, and patent), acupuncture, microwave physiotherapy, and Chinese herb medicine enema (CHM enema). These CAM therapies are effective at relieving dysmenorrhoea, shrinking adnexal masses, and promoting pregnancy, with less unpleasant side effects when compared to hormonal and surgical treatments. In this review, we focus on the status quo of CAM on EM and try to identify therapeutic efficacy and mechanisms based on some clinical and experimental studies. We hope to provide some instructive suggestions for clinical treatment and experimental research in the future.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150040, China.
Sai
S
Kong
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150040, China ; Center for Post-Doctoral Studies, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150040, China.
Yue-Hui
YH
Zhang
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150040, China.
Chen-Fang
CF
Liu
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
Ilene
I
Tsui
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150040, China.
Ying
Y
Guo
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150040, China.
Bei-Bei
BB
Ai
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin 150040, China.
Feng-Juan
FJ
Han