Menstrual Cycle Problems

The monthly menstrual cycle is one of the clearest indicators of a woman’s overall health, which is why Chinese medicine gives it real weight even in the first diagnostic conversation. A regular cycle, without significant pain and with adequate blood flow, shows that energy (Qi) and blood are moving properly through the body. Irregularity, pain, mood swings or fatigue around menstruation, on the other hand, usually point to an underlying imbalance that can be identified and treated. At Shai Davids’s clinics in Jerusalem and Ramat Gan, acupuncture, warming techniques and Chinese herbal medicine are used together to bring the cycle back into balance.

The cycle as a mirror of the body’s health

Poor eating habits, lack of physical activity and a stressful, emotionally turbulent lifestyle can all interfere with the production and proper flow of blood. When that happens, women tend to develop irregular periods, pain, mood changes, headaches and fatigue. This understanding is the basis of the Chinese approach to menstrual problems – the focus is not only on the monthly symptom itself but on the imbalance behind it.

Acupuncture together with warming treatment, alongside tailored changes to lifestyle and diet, can meaningfully ease these weaknesses and blockages. This approach also supports prevention and management of related gynecological conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids and cysts.

When the cycle is irregular

A cycle accompanied by a sensation of cold, low mood, reduced libido and noticeable fatigue – especially in the days after menstruation – may point, according to the Chinese diagnosis, to “internal cold” and/or a deficiency of Qi and blood. Cold-natured eating habits, such as cold drinks and raw vegetables straight from the fridge, together with a lack of exercise and anxiety, are often contributing factors.

Treatment in such cases typically combines acupuncture with moxibustion – a gentle warming technique – aimed at encouraging blood and Qi flow in the lower abdomen. Warming, strengthening herbal formulas are also prescribed to rebuild blood and Qi in the body.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

Irritability, breast tenderness, abdominal bloating, migraines and increased sugar cravings in the days before menstruation, which ease once the period begins, are all characteristic of PMS. In Chinese medicine this is understood as stagnation of Qi and/or blood, often alongside disharmony between the Liver and Spleen systems. Everyday frustration, anger, anxiety, inactivity and poor diet can all intensify the symptoms. In Western medical terms, PMS is generally explained as a hormonal imbalance within the endocrine system.

Chinese acupuncture can influence this hormonal imbalance and help restore smooth flow of Qi and blood, so that symptoms become milder and more manageable month after month.

Severe pain, endometriosis and fibroids

When menstruation is accompanied by especially strong pain and severe abdominal cramping, sometimes alongside a diagnosis of endometriosis or fibroids, it usually points to more significant stagnation of Qi and blood in the pelvic area. Acupuncture is an effective tool for clearing these blockages in the affected meridians and contributes to a gradual reduction in the intensity and frequency of pain.

Alongside acupuncture, herbal formulas help disperse the stagnant blood and improve circulation in the pelvic area. Research suggests that more than half of women experience symptoms of this kind intensely enough to affect daily functioning, which is why focused treatment can meaningfully improve quality of life.

How long treatment takes

Treatment for menstrual problems typically spans three to four complete cycles, with one to four acupuncture sessions per cycle. After a thorough intake and precise diagnosis, each patient is given an individual herbal formula – sometimes even two – taken on a daily basis. This combination of acupuncture and herbal medicine allows the treatment to address both immediate relief and the root of the imbalance.

Book a treatment

If your cycle comes with pain, irregularity or symptoms that affect your quality of life, it is worth finding out what lies behind them. Shai Davids sees patients at clinics in Jerusalem and Ramat Gan and builds a personal treatment plan for each woman combining acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. You can get in touch to schedule a first diagnostic session.