This study demonstrates that acupuncture has a synergystic effect with Chinese Herbal medicine in treatment of Endometriosis. Furthermore the effect of acupuncture and herbal medicine was found to be superior to a pharmaceutical medicine Danazol. The abstract of the study is below.
Acupuncture Chinese medicine Endometriosis

Acupuncture enhances the effects of Chinese herbal Medicine in treatment of Endometriosis

J. Shi, Z. B. Z. Ge*
, Y. Jin,Y. D. Li and J. Zhou** The 1st Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310003, Zhejiang, China
*Sir Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310016, Zhejiang, China
**College of Food Science and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310012, China. Corresponding Author Email: juezhou2006@yahoo.com.cn

ABSTRACT

The present study was aimed to investigate whether acupuncture could significantly enhance the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in treating endometriosis model rats. A total of 40 female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with body weight of 200 ±20 g were included. Operational transplantation was used with animal models. The rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: sham-operation control group (Group A), model group (Group B), CHM combined with acupuncture group (Group C), CHM group (Group D), Danazol group (Group E) with 8 rats in each group. During the treatment, two rats in Group B and one rat in Group E passed away. When the treatment ended, all the left rats were sacrificed. The samples of peritoneal fluids, serum and the ectopic endometrium were taken. The serum levels of cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) and interleukin 18(IL-18) in the peritoneal fluids were detected using enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay. The cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA expression levels in the ectopic endometrium were measured by Real-time PCR. The results showed that in the rats from Groups A, C, D and E, the serum CA-125 levels, COX-2 mRNA expression in the ectopic endometrium and the IL-18 levels in the peritoneal fluids were significantly lower than those of Group B (P<0.05). The serum CA-125 levels and COX-2 mRNA expression in the ectopic endometrium of the rats in Group C were significantly lower than those of Group D (P<0.05), while there was no significant difference between Group C and E (P>0.05). The levels of IL-18 in the peritoneal fluids of the rats in Group C were markedly lower than those of Group D and E (P<0.05). It is then concluded that acupuncture treatment can improve the effects of CHM in treating endometriosis model rats. Key words: Chinese herbal medicine acupuncture; endometriosis Reference: The Journal of Animal & Plant Sciences, 23(1): 2013, Page: 298-303 ISSN: 1018-7081

You can find a copy of the study here.