Dysmenorrhea Patients Can Benefit From Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Therapy

A study published by the eCAM (Evidence-based Complimentary and Alternative Medicine) showed that a meaningful positive effect was achieved when patients with dysmenorrhea who did not respond well to Western medical treatments were given acupuncture treatments. Dysmenorrhea is menstrual cramping whose cause can be seen in a couple of ways: it can be due to an unknown cause/pathology (primary dysmenorrhea) or as cramping resulting from an identified pelvic condition. The main symptom of both primary and secondary types of dysmenorrhea is pain, and this pain cannot be relieved by NSAID medications in about a quarter of dysmenorrhea sufferers who participated in the study.

The participants were all suffering from moderate to extreme dysmenorrhea lasting for a year or more and they all had no resolution of their pain from NSAID treatments. Also, they all refused oral contraceptive treatment, which is a first plan of treatment these days for most sufferers of dysmenorrhea. The subjects were treated with acupuncture once each week for eight weeks. The needles were inserted at certain points in the body for half an hour.

Of the 15 people who participated, 13 manifested a vast relief of pain and a substantial reduction of their NSAID intake following the acupuncture therapies. The patients with primary dysmenorrhea experienced a greater lessening of their pain reduction than the ones with secondary dysmenorrhea. Seven of the fifteen subjects completely stopped the use of NSAIDs and they were free of symptoms even after half a year after the end of the study.

The NIH (National Institutes of Health) has stated that acupuncture is a proven modality for the relief of pain and it has endorsed it to be a valid form of treatment for scores of health conditions, including dysmenorrhea. One of the best things about acupuncture is that it is a very safe and non-invasive therapy that has virtually no side effects at all. It works on the principle that the insertion of needles in the skin boosts the circulation of blood towards the affected part of the body.

Often used in combination with acupuncture is Chinese herbal medicine to boost the effectiveness of the treatment. The proper herbal formula needs to be used to address the specific symptoms and signs of the patient. For primary dysmenorrhea sufferers, the most popular formula used is gui shi fu ling wan. It is made up of five herbs including peach kernel, moutan cortex, root of the peony plant, poria, and cinnamon twig. All these plants are known in Traditional Chinese Medicine to enhance blood circulation and invigorate blood and can help relieve pain by clearing out the stagnations and obstructions in the body. The gui shi fu ling wan can also be used in the treatment of ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids.

The aforementioned study ends by stating that acupuncture therapy may be a recommended solution for pain associated with dysmenorrhea, particularly for those in whom NSAIDs or oral contraceptives are contraindicated or ineffective. This correlates with the conclusions of a lot of acupuncture clinics that have dealt with cases of dysmenorrhea. Some drawbacks of this study though include the participation of a relatively few number of patients and its failure to use a randomized, double-blind protocol. More future studies of its kind are recommended to prove acupuncture to be a valid form of treatment for dysmenorrhea.

Tammi A. Jones is a licensed acupuncturist in Palm Harbor, FL., practicing acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and Western medical pathology. She is also the founder of Synoma Wellness Centre.