Gua Sha therapy for treating perimenopausal syndrome: Protocol for a systematic review

Publication date: Available online 7 November 2017 Source:European Journal of Integrative Medicine Author(s): Guang-yong Cai, Qing-wei Chen, Li-hong Lin, Zou-ying Yao Introduction Gua Sha therapy is widely used in East Asia to manage the patients with perimenopausal syndrome. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the available evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of Gua Sha therapy for treating patients with perimenopausal syndrome. Methods The following databases will be searched from their inception until March 2017: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and four Chinese databases [WanFang Med Database, Chinese BioMedical Database, Chinese WeiPu Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)]. Only the RCTs related to the effects of Gua Sha therapy on perimenopausal syndrome will be included in this systematic review. A quantitative synthesis of RCTs will be conducted using RevMan 5.3 software. Study selection, data extraction, and validation will be performed independently by two reviewers. Cochrane criteria for risk-of-bias will be used to assess the methodological quality of the trials. Ethics and dissemination This systematic review will not use data from individual patients and no privacy will be involved. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications. Trial registration number PROSPERO registration number: CRD 42017059790.
Source: European Journal of Integrative Medicine - Category: Complementary Medicine Source Type: research