The effectiveness of hand acupuncture and moxibustion in decreasing pain and “coldness” in Korea women who have had hysterectomy: a pilot study

This pilot study compared the relative effectiveness of hand acupuncture and moxibustion in relieving pain and decreasing “coldness” in certain body parts experienced by subjects who have undergone a hysterectomy. The study participants were 10 women between 40 and 65 years, whose hysterectomies had been performed within 5 years before the study. The 10 subjects were divided randomly into two independent experimental groups, with one group being treated with hand moxibustion, whereas the other group received hand acupuncture therapy. The visual analogue scale evaluation tool was used to measure the pain and digital infrared thermographic imaging to measure “coldness” and blood circulation. When measuring the degree of pain, it was noted that pain scores decreased conspicuously over time. The responses of the two groups did not differ significantly, but moxibustion therapy was found to increase the temperature of internal parts of the body (i.e., abdominal and waist areas), whereas acupuncture affected the peripheral parts of the body.