CHINESE MEDICINE EXCELS AT TREATING WOMEN'S HEALTH 

The use of Chinese medicine for women’s health issues can be traced back to 1500-1000 BC. Chinese medicine excels at treating women’s health complaints because it understands the importance of addressing the whole person, not just symptoms, in order to achieve and maintain health. The goal of treatment is to identify and treat the root cause of the illness to help recover one’s own healing capacity.

 

CONDITIONS TREATED:

• Irregular, heavy, or painful periods

• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

• Fibroids

• Menopausal symptoms

• Infertility & IVF

• Endometriosis

• Pregnancy related complaints

• Weight issues related to hormone imbalances 

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ACUPUNCTURE FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH WORKS BY: ​

• Increasing blood flow to the ovaries and uterus which stops pain and inflammation

• Increasing blood flow to the liver which improves the body's detoxification pathways to support a healthy menstrual cycle

• Regulating the release of hormones from the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and ovaries

• Increasing endorphins for relaxation and pain relief 

• Calming an overactive adrenal stress system response also known as "fight or flight"

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MENSTRUAL PROBLEMS

Traditional Chinese medicine explains that the female reproductive system is a network of energy pathways that have corresponding organs and hormones. The body’s network can easily become off balance due to stress, poor diet, emotions, lack of exercise, and toxins. Restoring the body back to balance is the goal of treatment through the use of acupuncture, herbs, nutrition, and dietary and lifestyle changes.

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In Chinese medicine, menstruation relies mainly on the balanced functioning of the Liver, Spleen and Kidney energetic systems as they relate to the uterus and hormones.

• The Kidneys store the essence that provides the basic material for the formation of menstrual blood. Essence has a great influence on the menstrual cycle, fertility, conception, pregnancy and menopause.

• The Liver has a direct relationship with the uterus which stores blood that is received from the Liver. If Liver blood is deficient, a woman may have scanty or late periods. If the Liver blood is not moving properly, she may experience irregular periods, cramps, and PMS.

• In Chinese medicine, the Spleen is said to produce blood which is stored in the Liver. An imbalance in the Spleen system can cause symptoms such as a prolapsed uterus or bladder and excessive menstrual bleeding.

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Normal menstruation has a regular cycle (26-32 days) with bleeding that lasts 4-6 days and a consistent flow pattern without clots. Cramps that are increasing or require pain relievers are not normal. Chinese medical theory views pain as an indication of a blockage of blood flow. Because acupuncture releases areas of “stuck” blood in the body, menstrual cramps can be treated effectively. In addition to addressing the symptoms of menstrual disorders, Chinese medicine seeks to find and correct the underlying cause of the imbalance. 

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MENOPAUSE

In Chinese medicine, menopause is seen as the “springtime”of the second half of a woman’s life or as a “gateway” that leads to opportunity. In most cases, a woman’s body is out of balance which causes her to present with symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, trouble sleeping, vaginal dryness, fatigue, and poor memory.

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Chinese medicine views the cause of menopause as being a normal decline in Kidney energy with many variations of this pattern depending on each individual woman. The goal of Chinese medicine is not to prevent this decline of Kidney essence from occurring naturally, but it can help control the symptoms by allowing the body to function in a more balanced way.

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ORGAN SYSTEMS

• The most important organ system involved in menopause is the Kidney because it stores essence, our basic life energy that maintains health and provides the energy for the production of follicles or eggs in the ovaries.

• The Heart is usually involved in insomnia and anxiety.

• The Spleen is a factor in digestion problems and weight gain.

• The Liver is at the root of depression and mood swings.

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Western and Chinese medicine explain the symptoms associated with menopause in very different ways. In Western medicine, hot flashes are due to unpredictable fluctuations and imbalances of hormones, especially estrogen. In Chinese medicine, they are due to imbalances of yin and yang energy. A normal decrease in yin or cool energy can no longer hold down yang or heat energy, leading to a flare up of heat in the body. This increase of heat can lead to sweating especially at night, a time in which yin should predominate.

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PREGNANCY RELATED COMPLAINTS

Chinese medicine is rapidly becoming more popular for pregnant women to ease complications associated with pregnancy and labor. Acupuncture is all natural and has no harmful side-effects for mother or baby!

 

Conditions treated:​

• Prenatal complaints: morning sickness, edema, fatigue, breech presentation, threatened miscarriage, anxiety, constipation​

• During labor: pain relief, difficult or delayed labor​

• Postnatal complaints: postpartum depression, abdominal pain, retention of lochia, urinary difficulty, constipation, hemorrhoids, fever, joint pain, acute mastitis, breast milk problems

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PREGNANCY RESEARCH STUDIES​

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Acupuncture to Treat Nausea and Vomiting in Early Pregnancy: 

A Randomized Controlled Trial Birth, 29:1, March 2002.

This study grouped 593 women less than 14 weeks pregnant with symptoms of nausea or vomiting. The four groups of women received different treatments: traditional acupuncture, pericardium-6 acupuncture, sham acupuncture and no acupuncture. Treatment was given weekly for 4 weeks. The conclusion was that acupuncture is an effective treatment for with nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy.

 

Moxibustion for Correction of Breech Presentation. 

JAMA, 280 (18), November 11, 1998. 

Moxibustion was applied at the acupuncture point Bl-67 (outer corner of fifth toenail) for at least 7 days to women in their 33rd week of gestation with an ultrasound diagnosis of breech presentation. The conclusion was that using moxibustion for 1-2 weeks increased fetal activity during treatment and cephalic presentation after the treatment period.