“Will acupuncture treat my menstrual cramps?”
I have a lot of pain because of my period. To the point where Advil does absolutely nothing for me. Will acupuncture help treating it?
22 Answers
Top choice. The menstrual cramp can be cured by acupuncture.
Absolutely, acupuncture works great for female health issues, especially menses problems. It helps the pain relief and regulates the menses.
This is typically what is called dysmenorrhea. It has always been a curious thing as to why some women have cramping but others do not. Why some months during your period it is worse than others.
Chinese medicine looks as dysmenorrhea from several different stand points. Mostly, it is a qi (oxygen/blood energy) stagnation issue. This is a lack of oxygen or blood that is not moving effectively in the uterus or in the tissue surround the female organs. This could be caused from hormones, emotional & physical health, birth control, or even exhaustion that can cause dehydration and lack of overall energy.
A licensed Chinese medicine practitioner will evaluate you using pulse diagnosis, asking you questions about your lifestyle, birth control, family history, etc., and with the treatment of acupuncture and Chinese herbs you will likely get the relief that you are looking for from dysmenorrhea.
Chinese medicine looks as dysmenorrhea from several different stand points. Mostly, it is a qi (oxygen/blood energy) stagnation issue. This is a lack of oxygen or blood that is not moving effectively in the uterus or in the tissue surround the female organs. This could be caused from hormones, emotional & physical health, birth control, or even exhaustion that can cause dehydration and lack of overall energy.
A licensed Chinese medicine practitioner will evaluate you using pulse diagnosis, asking you questions about your lifestyle, birth control, family history, etc., and with the treatment of acupuncture and Chinese herbs you will likely get the relief that you are looking for from dysmenorrhea.
Hi. Yes acupuncture is very helpful for menstrual cramps
Absolutely yes! Acupuncture and herbs are a great solution for your problem.
May be helpful
I have had tremendous success with treating menstrual disorders for many women. I even had a patient so happy, she bought me a scooter and one who was so shocked by the lack of period pain that she didn't even know her cycle was going to happen when it did.
There were some patients, though, who were suffering from PCOS (multiple cysts on the ovaries) or some other cystic problem that had to be addressed first. A few have had success with Chinese herbal formulas in addition to acupuncture and some had to have surgery first to "start over'.
Not knowing your full case, I would suggest you rule out any major issue like cysts or copper IUD problems, etc. Lacking those, Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can be very helpful.
Make sure your practitioner is licensed as an acupuncturist (not just a DC or MD who "does acupuncture" and def not a PT doing "dry needling"). Find someone who is comfortable working with female issues (most are) who has had good experience with this issue. Find someone you are comfortable with and who will answer your questions, etc. Give it a few months to regulate and if one doesn't work, go find another practitioner before giving up - just like you would try different OTC medications, you can shop around for a good practitioner that fits you well.
Good luck.
There were some patients, though, who were suffering from PCOS (multiple cysts on the ovaries) or some other cystic problem that had to be addressed first. A few have had success with Chinese herbal formulas in addition to acupuncture and some had to have surgery first to "start over'.
Not knowing your full case, I would suggest you rule out any major issue like cysts or copper IUD problems, etc. Lacking those, Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can be very helpful.
Make sure your practitioner is licensed as an acupuncturist (not just a DC or MD who "does acupuncture" and def not a PT doing "dry needling"). Find someone who is comfortable working with female issues (most are) who has had good experience with this issue. Find someone you are comfortable with and who will answer your questions, etc. Give it a few months to regulate and if one doesn't work, go find another practitioner before giving up - just like you would try different OTC medications, you can shop around for a good practitioner that fits you well.
Good luck.
Yes, acupuncture helps a lot of gynecologic problems. Menstrual cramps can get relieved by acupuncture.
It's worth a try. BUT the most important aspect is to have someone (acupuncturist) that is very experienced and those are hard to find these days.
Yes, cramps are the stagnation of energy and blood in Eastern Medicine and improving circulation of Qi of blood is the basis of acupuncture. It certainly should help. Castor oil applies topically on the lower abdomen and a warm compress should help as well. Another trick is daily deep breathing exercises.
Yes, it is one of the best treatments for menstrual cramps!
Acupuncture and herbal medicine are more effective when used together.
Yes. Menstrual cramps are caused from stagnation according to Chinese medicine. 2-3 treatments are needed every month before and during the menstruation. Until you do not have any menstrual pain, you may take a few months to a couple of years. Chinese herbs will be good to combine with acupuncture to speed up and enhance the treatment effect.
Absolutely! And your acupuncturist will probably have herbal formulas that will bring great relief in the short term. But the acupuncture will balance your systems and organs to address the cause so you don't have the pain in the first place.
Acupuncture treatment does help to reduce the discomfort a bit. Try it to see how it works with your body. Consult with your doctor, also, to discuss your pain intensity.
Mostly likely it will and will help quickly. Regulating menstrual cycles is one of the things acupuncture is best at, which is why so many fertility specialists and reproductive endocrinologists work in tandem with an acupuncturist. I have been pleasantly surprised at how quickly acupuncture can reduce and sometimes eliminate the pain.
Please keep in mind that you won't want to seek treatment only when you're in pain. You'll need to be treated between cycles to prevent the pain. Once your cycles are regulated your pain should reduce or stop and you'll only need occasional maintenance visits.
In the case of severe cramps we would likely add Chinese herbs to protocol, just as the Jade Moon line from Kan herbs or Xiao Yao Wan from Herbal Times combined with Tong Jing Wan; however, the formulas are SO specific that a person that feel overheated at night vs. a person that doesn't, but has ALL other symptoms the same, would require a different formula. Thus, I strongly advise to work with an acupuncturist experienced in Zang Fu Pattern diagnosis.
Please keep in mind that you won't want to seek treatment only when you're in pain. You'll need to be treated between cycles to prevent the pain. Once your cycles are regulated your pain should reduce or stop and you'll only need occasional maintenance visits.
In the case of severe cramps we would likely add Chinese herbs to protocol, just as the Jade Moon line from Kan herbs or Xiao Yao Wan from Herbal Times combined with Tong Jing Wan; however, the formulas are SO specific that a person that feel overheated at night vs. a person that doesn't, but has ALL other symptoms the same, would require a different formula. Thus, I strongly advise to work with an acupuncturist experienced in Zang Fu Pattern diagnosis.
Mr. Anthony James Lorenzo
Acupuncturist
Yes. Absolutely. Obviously, nothing is guaranteed to work 100% of the time, but I have found this medicine to work very well. Don't give up if you try someone in my field and they don't help... we aren't all created equally. Make sure you start with a fully trained acupuncturist (not an MD or Chiropractor that did minimal hours of training to get a license).
Dysmenorrhea under the diagnosis of endometriosis in biomedicine is a common condition that we treat either with Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, or a combination. As a result, many women end up cramp-less the rest of their lives. The timing of treatment via either the herbal medicine or acupuncture is critical. Make sure you find a skilled practitioner for the problem.
It can. There are several reasons why the cramping may be so severe (from simple muscle tightness to endometriosis) and acupuncture can work to address them all.
Yes, acupuncture can help to alleviate premenstrual cramps and pains associated with it.
Hi there,
According to acupuncture, there are different reasons for menstrual cramps. Find out what is the root cause, for example, because of Chi stagnation, blood stagnation, or due to cold, etc. Then, appropriate needling techniques can be applied and likewise prescribe appropriate herbal medicine.
According to acupuncture, there are different reasons for menstrual cramps. Find out what is the root cause, for example, because of Chi stagnation, blood stagnation, or due to cold, etc. Then, appropriate needling techniques can be applied and likewise prescribe appropriate herbal medicine.
Most likely, yes. Acupuncture is really good for the treatment of pain and I generally get excellent results with menstrual issues for my patients. The thing about menstrual problems or other conditions that are tied to the female hormone cycle is: you generally have to receive treatment through a cycle or two before you're going to know how well things are working. Just about any board certified acupuncturist should be able to help you, but it might be worth your while to see if you can locate someone who specializes in gynecological conditions. I'd start with NCCAOM.org's "Find a Practitioner" page. You can look up some local providers, check out their web-pages and start calling around to see if there is a specialist in your area.
