Millions of women suffer from cramps and PMS symptoms with their monthly cycle.  Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have emerged as one of the best ways out there to treat these symptoms naturally. Imagine not dreading your monthly visitor! In fact, having a menses is a very cleansing thing for the body and important for our health as women.

In Chinese medicine we talk about several body substances of importance to our health. One of these is blood. Painful periods are often caused by what we would call a “blood deficiency” or a “blood stagnation.” There are other causes in Chinese medicine of menstrual cramps, but these some of the most common. You see, Chinese medicine likes to look at what is going on with each individual person, and once we figure that out we choose acupuncture points and herbs accordingly. A woman with classic blood stagnation symptoms might have dark red menstrual blood with clots, fixed pain that is worse at night and/or lots of PMS symptoms including mood swings. A woman with blood deficiency might have a scanty or light menses, dull pain that comes and goes, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and/or dizziness. It’s also possible to have a combination of the two.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the link between stress and painful menstrual periods. In Chinese medicine we talk about many organs in the body. When you hear your acupuncturist talking about an organ such as the gallbladder or the heart, they probably are not actually talking about the actual organ sitting in your body. They are usually more likely talking about a set of symptoms or a functional disorder rather than a physical one. For example, a functional disorder is when you are having a problem, say frequent urination. You go to the doctor, they check out your bladder and your kidneys and say there is no physical problem…but obviously you are still having a problem. This is a functional disorder. Okay, back to stress. In Chinese medicine, stress is usually related to the liver (not that anything is actually wrong with your liver, remember?). The liver is called the mother of women in Chinese medicine and is a big player in regulating the menstrual cycle. It is also a big part of our emotional life. Thus, stress and emotions can greatly impact painful periods. An acupuncturist will work on treating your periods and treating your stress. Win, win!

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