Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Irregular Menstruation
The high prevalence of menstrual problems such as endometriosis and PCOS has gained more attention in recent years. While improved awareness is a positive change, it is still essential to understand the underlying causes for better, safer treatments. Chinese medicine does not see the body as an assembly of parts; instead, it works from a holistic perspective, so the causes of irregular menstruation are often seen as imbalances in other organs, vital energy (Qi), or blood.
Causes
Acupuncture for women’s health complaints can feature different diagnostic terms and treatment plans for the same condition. However, there are often common patterns. A typical cause for endometriosis is described as Blood stasis, leading to an accumulation of heat and blood. In other words, and as repeated in Western science, inflammation can be a cause of period pain, heavy bleeding, and other signs and symptoms.
Abnormal uterine bleeding, or irregular periods, may have one of several causes. Kidney Qi deficiency is common at puberty, women of childbearing age typically have Liver stagnation or Blood heat, and in perimenopause, Liver and Kidney function or Spleen Qi are generally deficient. These may translate to problems such as hormone production or difficulty detoxifying the body.
Exploring the Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Irregular Menstruation
Research shows that acupuncture can effectively regulate periods when the right Chinese medicine diagnosis is used. For example, study only treating women with Spleen deficiency demonstrated that acupuncture could lengthen excessively short cycles and shorten cycles that were too long. Women with periods that were too light increased their menstrual flow, but those with heavy periods saw a lighter flow after treatment.
All women in each group, fire needle and conventional acupuncture, received the same treatment. This demonstrates how acupuncture helps to restore balance in the body, instead of suppression or creating an excess.
Can Acupuncture Regulate Your Cycle?
Many women find that acupuncture can help regulate hormone balance and related issues to support a healthy menstrual cycle. Its effects include:
- Supporting the hormone-producing glands of your body
- Supporting detoxification
- Enhancing the digestion, absorption, and transport of nutrients
- Reducing inflammation, which contributes to symptoms such as pain.
Acupuncture has a few risks and side effects. You may find the needles painful, or that some may draw a tiny amount of blood. If pain or a fear of needles are an issue, just let Dr. Vadim Dekhtyar, DACM, know before treatment begins.
Advantages of Acupuncture Over Conventional of Treatments
Dr. Vadim Dekhtyar, DACM, has seen an increasing number of women request treatment with acupuncture for regulating periods. This is largely because acupuncture does not have as many side effects. Women with irregular or painful periods may have gene variations or other vulnerabilities that make them more likely to develop side effects from hormonal birth control, for example. Acupuncture also does not have the cognitive or addictive side effects of prescription painkillers. Instead, it may address the deeper causes of menstrual problems while providing symptomatic relief.
Overall, research and years of clinical practice suggest that acupuncture may be an effective treatment for irregular periods and other women’s health issues. If you would like to take advantage of Dr. Vadim Dekhtyar’s, DACM years of education and clinical experience, contact us here or call 847-724-1777.