Treating Menstrual Pain with Chinese Acupuncture

Menstrual pain can be intense and highly disruptive, and for many women it is one of the reasons for missing work or school. Various studies and reports show that treating menstrual pain with Chinese acupuncture is beneficial and effective, reducing both the intensity of menstrual pain and how long it lasts. Unlike painkillers, Chinese acupuncture not only addresses symptoms as they occur, but may also affect future menstrual pain.

At your first meeting with the acupuncturist, you will be asked to provide a detailed medical history, so they can accurately determine your physical and emotional diagnosis. In the case of menstrual pain, the acupuncturist will look at additional symptoms that may stem from the hormonal changes taking place, such as breast swelling and tenderness, mood swings, changes in appetite or loss of appetite, and headaches. The acupuncture treatment will be personally tailored to the patient and to each stage of the cycle, so treatment needs to be repeated a number of times to get the most benefit from it.

What Is Menstrual Pain?

Primary dysmenorrhea is defined as cramping pain during menstruation, with no identifiable pathology. Menstrual pain of varying severity can affect most women throughout their menstruating years. Estimates suggest that roughly 50%-90% of women experience menstrual pain, and 13%-15% of women even restrict their daily activities because of it, up to and including missing work or school. The cause of menstrual pain (or PMS) is unknown, but it is most likely influenced by hormonal fluctuations in the brain.

Initial treatment for this pain is usually with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and various painkillers. Many women experience no relief from the pain, even after taking medication. Symptoms may even worsen as a result of these medications and include nausea, headaches, or drowsiness. In addition, some women are unable to take medication because they are trying to conceive or for other reasons. For this reason, these women look for an effective treatment that can help and ease their pain, such as Chinese acupuncture.

Chinese Acupuncture and Its Effectiveness in Treating Menstrual Pain

Chinese acupuncture, which originated in China, is a treatment method that uses the insertion of fine needles. Acupuncture works mainly by stimulating the nervous system, and through local effects caused by local axon reflexes and the release of peptides. Today, Chinese acupuncture is considered part of conventional medicine, and is no longer just part of complementary medicine. Treating menstrual pain with Chinese acupuncture is considered an effective treatment and is recommended even by Western doctors, who have witnessed and confirmed its effectiveness. The reason Chinese acupuncture is so effective for menstrual pain stems from its ability to change mood-related brain chemistry, lowering serotonin levels and raising endorphins, factors that help combat negative emotional states as well as hormonal ones.

Many clinical trials have been conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of acupuncture for menstrual pain. Various summaries of these trials clearly show that Chinese acupuncture can reduce menstrual pain and its accompanying symptoms more effectively than leaving the condition untreated, and even compared with cases of women who took medication. What’s more, the effectiveness of the treatment can be maintained during a short-term follow-up period. Chinese acupuncture has also been found to be safer than various medications, with no reported or observed side effects or unwanted results.

In summary, pain is complex and represents an individual experience that is difficult to assess, examine, manage and treat. Nevertheless, Chinese acupuncture succeeds in treating menstrual pain effectively and over time, since it works to resolve the root of the problem. Choosing a place that specializes in these treatments, such as Machat Ruach, and adhering to the required number of sessions, will ensure that Chinese acupuncture resolves your menstrual pain problem for life.