The use of acupuncture and other techniques from Traditional Chinese Medicine to address women’s health has been increasing. We live in an era in which overwork, emotional disorders, improper diet, are a part of our lifestyle and directly affect our health. Therefore, treatments that will address those multiple aspects of health are being more valued and sought.
When concerning women’s health, there is a close relationship between those health determinants and reproductive health. Women are complex, we have a million facets, everyone has their unique story, struggles, fights and victories. As Sun Si-Mao said, disorders of women are ten times more difficult to cure than those of male. I like to attribute this to our wonderfully unique aspects and take it as a challenge. This challenge becomes easier when we have a very important and yet simple tool to work with, the menstrual cycle. Female health and fertility is closely related to menstrual health, by simply understanding the menstrual cycle, we can get a picture of one’s fertility status. Scanty menstrual flow, dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramping), premenstrual symptoms, short or long menstrual cycles, are all diagnostic signs and when we intervene on them, we can improve reproductive health. Luckily, acupuncture has been described as an effective tool to address all these concerns.
However, we cannot reduce women’s health to reproductive health, once not all women want to bear a child, and they don’t have to. Women’s health is about quality of life, is about being happy, productive, and not being overlooked and minimized when yelling that those cramps are killing us. There are several studies that show that acupuncture, through its analgesic effects, is an effective treatment to menstrual pain. One other treatment that has been seen as effective for menstrual pain when related to polycystic ovarian syndrome, is electroacupuncture. Electroacupuncture is the use of low-grade electrical stimuli in the needles, and when applied to the abdomen, can be beneficial for polycystic ovarian syndrome. I know, electrical pulses, little shocks in the needles, seem scary! However, everything is done within your level of tolerance, always in a respectful manner, constantly assessing your comfort level.
Acupuncture treatment should not be painful. Pain will only induce stress, increase the levels of Cortisol, and get in the way of the outcome that we want you to have. So come and have a moment of your own, an hour of your day that will be only yours and it will positively affect the rest of your week.
Article By Paola Borges R.Ac
