Acupuncture For Dysmenorrhea
A patient receiving Acupuncture and Moxibustion for menstrual pain
Dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea causes painful cramps before, during, and after menstruation. Pain strikes the lower abdomen, back, or legs. Symptoms include throbbing, sharp, or dull pain, sometimes with nausea or lightheadedness. Nearly half of women experience recurring dysmenorrhea for one to three days. Western medicine views it as usual, but Chinese medicine sees treatable imbalances. Acupuncture corrects these imbalances effectively. Prostaglandin hormones trigger intense uterine contractions, reducing blood flow. Dysmenorrhea is divided into two distinct types.
Primary dysmenorrhea:
Dysmenorrhea starts in adolescence, persists into early adulthood, and stems from hormonal imbalances triggering excessive uterine contractions.
Secondary dysmenorrhea:
First, dysmenorrhea frequently affects women in their thirties and forties, often linked to pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, myomas, or fibroids. Additionally, contraceptive pills treat hormonal imbalances causing irregular periods. However, if no specific condition is identified, doctors typically prescribe analgesics.
Initially, Chinese Medicine employs two acupuncture methods for dysmenorrhea: TCM’s organ energetics and CCM’s channel energetics. Specifically, TCM, established in the 1950s, simplifies traditional practices, targeting twelve organ energetics and fourteen channels. In contrast, CCM encompasses over seventy energy channels plus organ energetics. Consequently, TCM corrects organ imbalances, while CCM also addresses channel imbalances. Thus, TCM remains more widespread yet less comprehensive than CCM. Next, TCM emphasizes sufficient blood volume and qi flow for healthy periods. For example, Liver, Spleen, Kidney, and Chong channel energetics govern menstruation. Moreover, stagnant Liver qi, often stress-induced, causes premenstrual pain. Likewise, stagnant Liver-blood leads to pain during menstruation. Therefore, TCM acupuncture focuses on the Liver channel, which runs through reproductive organs, to promote smooth blood and qi flow. Furthermore, for blood deficiency, acupuncture transforms body resources into new blood, alleviating dull or sharp pain.
Period Pain
Chinese medicine does not treat Western medicine conditions–including “dysmenorrhea.” Instead, the Chinese medicine practitioner takes a naturalistic approach by organizing patient signs and symptoms into basic patterns of imbalance, after conducting an extensive intake. Usually, there are multiple patterns of imbalance involved in a patient’s health presentation.
Common Patterns in TCM-Style of Chinese Medicine for Dysmenorrhea
Qi Stagnation and Blood Stasis: dark-red menses with clots, pain worse with pressure, beginning before or on the first day or two of the period and during the period.
Qi and Blood Deficiency: scanty menses, dull pain better with pressure occurring during or after the period.
Liver and Kidney-Yin Deficiency: thin, scanty menses, lower abdominal pain.
Cold in the Uterus from Yang Deficiency: pale, scanty menses, pain during or after a period, and better with heat.
Low Abdominal Damp-Heat: strong-smelling, yellow or bright-red menses, pelvic inflammation, possibly burning pain during period.
Uterine Damp-Cold: dark, scanty menses, low back pain, pain before or during the period, relieved with heat but worse with pressure.
TCM-style acupuncture treatments typically include nutrition, lifestyle modifications, and, occasionally, the use of Chinese herbs.
Resources:
– SOURCE: Andrew Lagomarsino LAc
https://www.acufinder.com/Acupuncture+Information/Detail/Acupuncture+For…
