Do you seem irritated by the littlest things? Are your littlest child’s whining tendencies, that usually you have some patience to deal with, sending you through the roof? Depression and fatigue making you too worn out to keep up with your normal routine?
PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, is enough to drive anyone crazy. But, it doesn’t have to.
Forget the Midol, the Prozac, and the birth control pills. They can only solve a few select symptoms or present you with worse ones, but the worst thing of all is figuring out when during your cycle would be the best time to take them.
Medications like Zoloft are best for anti-anxiety and depression when taken during premenstrual periods, but what if you need to deal with the physical pain of your period? Then you have to start taking your pain relievers a couple days before it starts. And birth control helps with both physical and mental symptoms, but doesn’t work unless you take it at the same time everyday. It’s just too much to keep up with.
Why not try needles? What’s it going to hurt? (No pun intended.)
Acupuncture Basics:
Acupuncture has been known to help keep all of your PMS outbursts at a minimum, and the great thing is, the Chinese have been doing this treatment for centuries, so you don’t have to go through all the malfunctions of an experimental drug or procedure.
I know that sounds like it would only add more pain to the situation, but most people feel at least less tense and anxious within the first 5-10 minutes and everyone could use less of that.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, your entire body is flowing with blood (Yang) and Qi (Yin), or vital energy. Any physical or mental problem you experience are caused by a block in the flow of Qi in one or many points of your body.
The puncture of very thin needles in certain points, or meridians, “activates” these meridians, stimulating the surge of the Qi and eventually helping relieve your problems.
Each acupuncturist comes up with a diagram of meridians they feel will help a person’s particular symptoms and body type. This could very each time you go.
If you are worried about the pain and discomfort of these tiny needles, think of the pain in relation to a pinch. Some of the pinches are going to feel very light and barely noticeable, but there always seems to be a couple that feel like someone is actually pinching your skin with their fingers, which lasts literally as long as a pinch. You won’t have to endure it longer than a second or two.
Acupuncture & PMS:
Acupuncture has been known to help fluctuating hormone levels that lead to PMS. Because menstruation deals with a type of blood and Qi is closely related to blood, the two go hand and hand.
Most PMS acupuncture treatments target the spleen, liver, and kidneys because they filter and nourish the blood. Acupuncture helps these parts of your system perform more efficiently and increases circulation.
According to a PMS case study by Lynda Matthewson, a London College of Traditional Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine graduate of 2003, most PMS treatments are made up of 12 weekly sessions during a three month period.
Most of all, all acupuncture treatment and results are gradual. Your body needs time to adjust and get used to the changes it is undergoing. If results are not gradual, there is more of a chance for reversal. No one wants to spend the money and time if the body is going to go back to the way it was.
The good news, though, is that there have been results.
Frank Lipman of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture recorded that at least 75% of women with PMS have seen progress with acupuncture.