---
title: Does electrical acupoint stimulation at Yongquan (KI-1) help with PMS?
description: Yes. Electrical acupoint stimulation was 69 percent effective in reducing PMS symptoms, compared to 40 percent for herbal treatment. The stimulation also impr
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/effects-of-transcutaneous-electrical-acupoint-stimulation-at-yongquan-ki-1-on-2023/
---

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- Does electrical acupoint stimulation at Yongquan (KI-1) help with PMS?

Randomised trial, 2023

# Does electrical acupoint stimulation at Yongquan (KI-1) help with PMS?

Yes. Electrical acupoint stimulation was 69 percent effective in reducing PMS symptoms, compared to 40 percent for herbal treatment. The stimulation also improved hormone levels and reduced stress hormones and neurotransmitters.

 Moderate study design

60 patients with PMS

## What they did

Sixty PMS patients were randomly assigned to electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) at Yongquan or herbal treatment. TEAS was applied daily from day 20 of the cycle until menstruation for 3 months. Hormone levels and symptoms were measured at baseline and end of treatment.

## What they found

After 3 months, TEAS was 69 percent effective compared to herbal treatment at 40 percent effective (P<0.05). Symptom severity decreased significantly. Catecholamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline levels decreased (P<0.05). Progesterone increased, while follicle-stimulating hormone, prolactin, and estradiol decreased (P<0.05). Recurrence rate was lower for TEAS than herbal treatment.

## What it means for you

Electrical acupoint stimulation appeared more effective than herbal treatment for PMS and may work by changing hormone and neurotransmitter levels. The sample size is small and the comparison was to herbal treatment rather than no treatment or placebo, so more research is needed.

60

PMS patients in the trial

69%

TEAS effectiveness rate

3

consecutive months of treatment

## About the study

Original title Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation at Yongquan (KI-1) on Premenstrual Syndrome and Related Peripheral Neurotransmitters: A Randomized Clinical Trial Authors Leiya Ma, Xia Gao, Benxu Ma et al. Journal Medical Acupuncture Year 2023 Study design Randomised trial Participants 60 What was tested Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) at Yongquan point bilaterally vs Traditional Chinese Medicine herbal treatment Read the paper [doi.org/10.1089/acu.2023.0026](https://doi.org/10.1089/acu.2023.0026)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Other herbal medicine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-herbal-other/)[Acupuncture and acupressure](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-acupuncture/)

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