Does Acupuncture Really Treat Endometriosis?

For enthusiasts and practitioners of acupuncture, endometriosis is just another sickness to deal with and cure. However, for scientists, acupuncture may be a means or a pacifier for patients to think that they are being cured. For them, women may think the treatment works because of the positive thinking that a prospective cure can bring that consequently bring about results. So, the question is, does acupuncture in Jacksonville really treat endometriosis?

We need to understand the basic concepts underlying acupuncture treatment In order to understand if a link exists between relieving endometriosis pains and acupuncture.

Acupuncture is a branch of an ancient Eastern medical tradition known as TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine. Acupuncture is based on the existence of a life force within all of us that is referred to as chi. This life force flows through our bodies and is present in all of nature.

Chi brings us good health and allows us to be in harmony with the environment as long as its flow is uninterrupted and smooth. When this flow is disrupted in nature or within our bodies, destruction and illness can occur.

Acupuncture helps reestablish the normal flow of chi through the channels, bringing relief to people in pain and reversing sicknesses. It accomplishes this through the application of tiny slender needles into strategic points of the body known as acupoints where circulation of chi can proceed undisturbed.

If balance of chi is restored through acupuncture, healing can commence. This guaranty has made this medical procedure very attractive to the busy Western World; in fact, acupuncture adherents and enthusiasts are witnesses to its ability to make them think better, relax, and even lead happier, healthier lives.

It will help us to appreciate more how acupuncture works in the treatment of endometriosis if we understand how endometriosis occurs in the first place.

A woman’s uterus develops an inner lining called the endometrium during her monthly cycle. Should a sperm successfully fertilize an egg, this lining is designed to nurse a developing fetus. The endometrial lining will pass out of the body during menstruation if no fertilization takes place.

However, in certain instances, the endometrial lining goes to other parts of the body. This leads to a disruption in normal bodily functions and other ill effects like scarring, and internal bleeding. This condition is known as endometriosis and women suffering from it may also have to endure progressive and severe bodily pain.

Physicians address this condition by prescribing analgesics in order for the patients to better cope with the pains associated with this disease or by stabilizing the estrogen levels in the body. Another option is surgery to help extract the misplaced endometrial tissue and treat the associated adhesions and scarring. The problem with all these approaches is that they only offer short-term relief; in surgery, more invasive operations may be required.

More and more sufferers are turning to alternative modes of treatment due to the inadequacy of these Western conventional treatments in helping resolve their condition. The alternative therapies can be a substitute for the standard treatments or can be used to complement them.

You will be asked a series of questions about your life and your menstrual cycle when you come in for acupuncture treatment of your endometriosis. Each patient will be given a unique form of treatment which means that the acupoints chosen will differ from patient to patient. However, the acupoints commonly chosen are situated on the legs, stomach, back, ears, and neck.

Herbal formulas will also be dispensed alongside acupuncture treatments. These formulas are also customized for the patient and act as an adjunct to the chosen acupoints.

The inserted needles cause the rerouting of chi flow, which supposedly make endometriosis sufferers feel stronger and well – the renewed strength makes them able to deal with the pains of the disease much better. In short, acupuncture does not heal endometriosis it just helps people cope with it better.

Acupuncture is known to help people in a number of ways, it boosts blood circulation to the stomach that promotes healing and relieves pain by stimulating the release of pain-killing endorphins into the bloodstream. It can help a woman relax, allowing her to deal with the discomfort and pain much easier.

If you are interested in relieving endometriosis pain with acupuncture, then talk to your doctor first and ask him or her about the other therapies that are available. If your doctor consents to acupuncture, search for a licensed acupuncturists in your area, or talk to fellow endometriosis sufferers about the acupuncturists they have gone to.

Endometriosis Sufferers Should Consider Acupuncture and Herbs as an Alternative To Drugs and Surgery

Endometriosis is a condition affecting women and can be very painful. It can also lead to other various conditions. A lot of the sufferers of this condition are now turning to herbal medicine and acupuncture because they are considered safe and very effective. Each Chinese herbal and acupuncture treatment varies per patient and the type of treatment that one gets will depend on the constitution of the patient and the severity of her condition; if a woman plans to have children in the future, this factor is taken into consideration and given the proper required treatment in order for this to come about.

Endometriosis is usually diagnosed in women who around 25 – 35 years of age, although it can occur at any stage in a woman’s life. The ovaries produce hormones once a month that stimulates the formation of a uterine lining in preparation for a potential fertilized egg. The cells that create the uterine wall are known as endometrial cells and they should only develop inside the uterus. However, due to some unknown reason, some of these cells develop outside of the uterus and a condition known as endometriosis occurs.

Endometriosis is a painful condition that can produce scars in the pelvic region, the ovarian tubes and the ovaries. It may result in infertility, formation of large cysts in the pelvis and chronic long-term pelvic pain. Some of the modalities offered by doctors when treating endometriosis include drugs, hysterectomy, and surgery. A lot of women have an aversion to medications and most of them want to avoid surgery as much as possible, especially those who plan to have children in the future. So, they are compelled to seek out alternative forms of treatment. It has been discovered that acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can be effective cures for endometriosis.

Acupuncture and herbal medicine are used in combo to resolve not only physical conditions but spiritual, emotional, and mental issues, as well. Acupuncture has been a major form of treatment in China for thousands of years although it has only been widely practiced in the United States for a relatively short period of time (more than 4 decades). The most common use for acupuncture in this country is for the treatment of pain.

Acupuncture involves the insertion of sterile, small and filiform needles into certain points of the body known as acupoints. The acupoints used depend on the condition being treated. For endometriosis, the targeted acupoints are located on the stomach, wrists, ears, legs, and back. The needles are left inserted in the skin for around 20 – 40 minutes depending on how severe the symptoms are. Acupuncturists believe that acupuncture resolves endometriosis by increasing endorphin levels in the bloodstream which alleviates the pain, boosts blood flow in the affected organs, and balances the levels of hormone in the body.

Herbal medicine can be used externally and internally to treat symptoms and bring back the patient to a good state of health. For endometriosis, herbalists can avail of several plants including dandelion, motherwort, wild yam, burdock, cramp bark, and horsetail. They all help to resotre balance to the hormones and boost the immune system in order for the body to have a much greater capacity to fight endometriosis naturally.

Women who have endometriosis who are considering herbal medicine and acupuncture should know that these two modalities are much better alternatives to drugs and surgical procedures that come with certain harmful side effects and are less effective.

 

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