Treatment approach to leucorrhea in traditional Iranian medicine and conventional medicine

Abstract

Introduction: Excessive vaginal discharge is one of the most common complaints of patients referring to gynecologic clinics. Leucorrhea is treated in different ways based on the causal factor, however drug resistance and recurrence often occurs in some cases. Traditional Iranian Medicine has reviewed the etiology and treatment of this disease with a holistic view. This study was performed with aim to compare the treatment methods of leucorrhea and vaginitis from traditional and conventional medicine viewpoints. Methods: Data was collected after reviewing the Iranian traditional medicine textbooks on vaginal discharge, and revising several times in meetings with professional practitioners. The treatment methods of conventional medicine were also reviewed from textbooks and research reports in this field. Finally, an integrated treatment protocol on vaginal discharge was recommended and presented. Results: There are three main steps in treating vaginal discharge according to the Iranian traditional medicine point of view which includes: purging of body, purging of uterus and strengthening the uterus. It seems that considering this treatment process in the conventional medicine is effective in treatment of non-infection or recurrence leucorrhea resistance to treatment. Conclusion: With regard to the traditional medicine hypothesis and the limited evidences from traditional medicine clinics on few patients with vaginal discharge, it seems that the use of this protocol is effective on increasing the treatment response rate and also decreasing the recurrence and resistance to treatment. Therefore, performing more clinical studies is suggested to approve this theory and confirm the effectiveness. � 2016 Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All Rights Reserved.