PURPOSE
We analyzed climacteric symptoms, bone mineral density (BMD), serum estradiol (E2) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) to identify the health benefits of meridian massage in perimenopausal women.
METHODS
There were 16 women in the experimental group and 17 people in the control group. Meridian massage was performed for 4 weeks, 3 times a week for 20 minutes each session. The data were collected pre-treatment, posttreatment and 4 weeks after treatment. SPSS/WIN 11.5 was used for data analysis.
RESULTS
After meridian massage, there were significant differences in climacteric symptoms (U = 65.50, p = .011) and BMD (U = 65.50, p = .011) between the two groups. The E2 level showed a significant difference between the two groups pre- and posttreatment (U = 75.00, p = .028). FSH showed a significant increase when measured at 4 weeks after the treatment as compared with the amount when measured post-treatment within the control group (z = -2.249, p = .025), experimental group showed a stable change in FSH. but there was no significant difference between the groups.
CONCLUSION
In this study, we confirmed the effects of Meridian massage in decreasing climacteric symptoms, inhibiting the decrease of BMD and stabilizing serum hormone in perimenopausal women. Therefore, it can be considered for use as a nursing intervention for health management in perimenopausal women.

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of hand moxibustion for reduction of pain during menstruation. METHOD: Fifteen women were selected as subjects and data collection was conducted from September to December 2003. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Digital Infrared Thermotraphic Image (DITI) were used to measure the degree of pain and body heat. RESULT: The results showed that there was a significant reduction of pain during menstruation when hand moxibustion was performed. Also, there were significant differences in the change of body heat. These were left hands (Z=-2.805, p=.005), right hands (Z=-2.805, p=.005) and lower abdomen (Z=-2.803, p=.005). CONCLUSION: It was found that hand moxibustion decreased pain during menstruation and increased body heat. Therefore, hand moxibustion may be a good method for intervention to decrease pain during menstruation.