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Acupuncture to Help You with Your PMS Symptoms
About 70% – 90% of women in the United States who haven’t reached menopause suffer from PMS. The rate of PMS incidence in premenopausal women in Southeast Asia is significantly lower. This may be because of the difference in the social structure and the style of living in that region vis-à-vis that of the US. The definition of PMS is the malfunctioning of the ovaries in connection with the menstrual cycle of the woman. PMS usually affects the emotional and physical state of the woman. It may, at times, disrupt her daily activities due to the fluctuation of her hormones. PMS oftentimes strikes one to two weeks prior to menstruation and then the symptoms decrease and eventually clear during the actual onset of the period.
I. Definition
One of the oldest forms of treatment for PMS is acupuncture. This modality has helped relieve tension in any part of the body resulting from blood and qi stagnation.
II. How acupuncture helps women with PMS
1. Liver qi and blood stagnation
Most of the women suffering from PMS, according to Chinese herbal medicine, have that condition due to blood or liver qi stagnation or both. By inserting an acupuncture needle into a specific point in the body (sometimes combined with electrical stimulation to make the stimulation more effective), the function of the liver is improved leading to the treatment of PMS symptoms.
2. Releasing the tension in the nerves
In order to improve the flow of blood throughout the body, our nervous system needs to be in a relaxed state. A relaxed nervous system can help dispel anxiety, tiredness, insomnia and depression.
3. Yin and Yang qi
The human body possesses two natural energies known as yin and yang. According to Chinese herbalists, imbalance in the body of a woman is caused by an imbalance of her yin and yang. When the balance of these natural energies is restored through the needling of a specific acupuncture point, balance to the hormones is likewise restored prior to ovulation which therefore can help eliminate PMS symptoms.
4. Cramping and pain
Acupuncture can alleviate menstrual cramps and pain resulting from the over active muscle in the stomach region. Acupuncture removes the stagnation of blood and qi allowing the muscles to relax thus relieving stomach cramps and pain.
5. Kidney deficiency
Women with PMS often suffer from edema (water retention in the body) due to Kidney deficiency. Acupuncture can help bring back the healthy function of the kidney by stimulating more fluid secretion that can help clear out toxins from the body by means of urinary secretion.
Scott Paglia is a licensed and board certified acupuncturist in Bellingham, WA and provides master level pulse diagnosis, Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture in Whatcom County, WA.
Acupuncture for Fertility
Acupuncture as a modality for fertility conditions is a procedure that has only begun to be seriously considered in the United States in the last 20 or so years although it has been used by millions of people in China and the Far East for thousands of years to help relieve pain and dozens of health conditions as well as to promote good health. It is now being used more and more by childless couples who want to conceive a child in a natural way.
The fundamental mechanisms of how Western therapies such as IUI and IVF work are quite easy to understand and well known. These therapies directly deal with male and female infertility, resolving it in such a way as to cause a cure to infertility without reference to the body as a whole. The notion of bringing about a cure for an illness through the pricking of needles in different areas of the body is something that no trained Western medical practitioner would typically give any credence to.
Eastern medical practitioners such as acupuncturists and TCM practitioners confront medical problems from an entirely different standpoint than western medicine. These heath professionals view the mind and body to be inextricably connected. TCM states that the body is influenced by lines of energy known as meridians flowing through it. This view is taken a stage further by adherents of yoga, who believe that energy can be taken from the ether or air and a person can derive good health just by improving the way he/she breathes.
If the flow of energy in the body does not encounter any obstacles, then the person experiences good health; however, once an obstruction develops in the vessels where energy travels, then the flow of energy is constricted or interrupted. This can negatively impact the other parts of the body that consequently can be deprived of adequate energy to properly function.
What does this then possibly have to do with a couple’s fertility issues? In simple explanation, a skilled and licensed acupuncturist can help produce and release beneficial and “feel-good” hormones known as endorphins which can help heal certain problems in the mind and body that directly or indirectly cause infertility. Besides releasing stress-killing hormones, acupuncture can also improve blood circulation to the reproductive organs such as the ovaries and uterus. The enhanced blood flow can bolster the immune system to enable it to attack infections and viruses and bring about healthy conditions in the body making the body become more fertile.
One of the more pressing problems of female infertility is the inability of the woman’s body to stimulate the thickening of the uterine lining. Acupuncture is able to address this problem by stimulating the body to make it more receptive for a successful implantation of a fertilized egg.
There are also connections between male infertility and acupuncture. Studies have demonstrated acupuncture’s effectiveness in increasing both the quantity and quality of sperm cells after certain sessions of acupuncture therapy.
The benefits of acupuncture, not just for people wanting to boost their fertility but for all people, are now undeniable.
Willow Tree Wellness Clinic
1607 NE 16th Avenue
Portland, OR 97232
Ph: 503-281-0030
http://willowtreeclinic.com