Moxibustion for Primary Dysmenorrhea: An Adjuvant Therapy for Pain Relief

The latest spectrum of moxibustion disease shows that primary dysmenorrhea is a high-frequency symptom of moxibustion and that it is the dominant clinical disease. In the specific treatment methods, all types of moxibustion methods have been widely used, such as thermal, thunder fire, partitioned, and spreading moxibustion. Moxibustion plays a therapeutic role through its four mechanisms of action: heat, light, moxa smoke, and drug effects. The mechanism of moxibustion treatment for primary dysmenorrhea focuses on adjusting endocrine hormones, regulating immune function and neuro-related factors, and improving uterine microcirculation. In this study, based on the clinical evidence of different moxibustion methods for treating primary dysmenorrhea, the design model, intervention characteristics, and clinical outcomes were analyzed. Meanwhile, the brain effect mechanisms of different imaging methods were summarized from the perspective of neuroimaging. It was pointed out that the left anterior cingulate gyrus, left inferior parietal angular gyrus, and left superior gyrus may be the analgesic brain regions that regulate sensory, emotional, and cognitive aspects. Moreover, the neural circuits involved can be inferred: the frontal cortex-basal ganglia (the pea nucleus)-cerebral cortex, which mediates motivation and emotional drive, and the parietal lobe-basal ganglia-limbic lobe-frontal lobe, which is involved in neurotransmitter transport and emotional regulation and behavioral expression. There are still problems and deficiencies in studies on the mechanism of moxibustion treatment for primary dysmenorrhea. Studies should be strengthened on how moxibustion produces an effect. Attention should be paid to exploring how the spectrum range and peak in the light effect of moxibustion treat primary dysmenorrhea. Studies assessing the mechanisms of moxibustion treatment for primary dysmenorrhea should be conducted to provide an experimental basis and evidence-based medical evidence for clinical treatment.