Imagine that one week out of every month is pretty much miserable; you can count on that week as a loss.  You feel tired, even lethargic, have strong cravings, are filled with self loathing or a foggy head, you are knocked out by migraines, cramping abdominal or low back pain.

If this sounds familiar toPMS_couch_1 you then consider this: how much would your life be improved without the monthly experience of these symptoms of PMS or Dysmenorrhea (painful periods)? Imagine that you do not have to feel this way for one quarter of your life. Wouldn’t you do something to change it? Far too many women have accepted these kinds of symtpoms as a “normal” part of their lives when, actually, our systems have developed this natural process to be smooth and painless.

Monthly symptoms of PMS and painful periods may be what ispopularly taken to be “the norm” but this is not what is actually a healthy menstrual cycle. Even so, many women accept PMS symptoms and dysmenorrhea as a fact of their monthly cycle without question. Pre Menstrual Syndrome (PMS) can include many symptoms ranging from breast tenderness to food cravings, intense migraines or any of the following symptoms: anxiety, insomnia, depression, low back pain, leg pain, lethargy, nausea and gastrointestinal disorders,  phobic disorders, dizziness, irritability, and premenstrual headaches.

What many women have accepted as a “normal” part of their monthly cycle is a pathological imbalance that can be corrected. A period can, and should, come and go with no other sign than the actual physiological process of shedding the uterine lining. Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine have been used forover a millennia to help women regulate their reproductive systems and achieve balance and greater control over their bodies and therefore their lives.

Some modern studies show that PMS symptoms and dysmenorrhea are corrected in one to four  Acupuncture visits for most women. Adding in a one to three month course of Chinese Herbal Medicine creates even more momentum to keep what may be a constitutional tendency towards PMS symptoms at bay for years or even permanently. Often times, women being treated with Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine  for dysmenorrhea (painful periods) and PMS find other body systems improving as well, with enhanced immunity and energy levels, better sleep or improved digestion.

If you have any lingering questions about Acupuncture and PMS, hormonal imbalances, or Women’s Health in general, we encourage you to find out more. Don’t hesitate to contact Dixie Young, LAc for a consultation or call to schedule your appointment today. If you are suffering each month, consider how your life might transform if you were not. References:

1. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2002 Nov;267(1):23-6. “Using acupuncture to treat premenstrual syndrome.” Habek D, Habek JC, Barbir A. Source: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Health Centre, Bjelovar, Croatia. dubravko.habek@bj.hinet.hr: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12410369 2. “The effect of acupuncture in dysmenorrhea”. Akush Ginekol (Sofiia). 1996;35(3):24-5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9045554