'An empty and happy feeling in the bladder...': health changes experienced by women after acupuncture for recurrent cystitis

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore changes in health as reported by cystitis-prone females after having received prophylactic acupuncture treatment for recurrent cystitis. Design: A qualitative study based on written free text answers on the women's own experience of changes related to health after completion of TCM acupuncture treatment. Data were analyzed using Giorgi's phenomenological approach. Setting: Subjects living in the Bergen area, Norway, were recruited by advertisement in local newspapers and included provided they had had three or more episodes of lower UTI during the previous 12 months. Results: The main topics reported were related to improved pressure during micturition and more complete bladder emptying; more normal bowel movement and less abdominal discomfort; more energy, reduced stress level, and better sleep. Only a few reported feeling worse. Conclusion: The symptoms described as relieved by the women in our study seem to fit TCM theory for diagnoses of their vulnerability to cystitis. Qualitative methods have a role in TCM research that may enrich our knowledge in other ways than traditional quantitative methods may. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.