Introduction

Period pain is one of the most common health condition affecting women. It has been estimated that one in three women suffering from some form of period pain of various severity. Although so prevalent, conventional treatments for period pain are far from ideal. Treatments such as contraceptive pills or pain killers only provide temporary reliefs to the problem. By contrast, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine address period pain from a fundamental prospective. As the result, period pain can be effectively managed and treated with acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine as well as lifestyle and dietary adjustments.

What is "period pain"?

Period pain is a symptom which often occur before and during the first two days of menstruation. It often involves aching in the lower abdomen, abdominal bloating and discomfort, pain. Other accompany symptoms include poor blood circulation, soreness in the lower back, sensitive to cold and fatigue.

Period pain can be perceived as a protective response from our body attempting to eliminate blood clots from the uterus. As our body attempt to eliminate the blood clots through strong muscular contractions, this results in period pain.

Sufferers may also experience irregularity in their period, blood clots as well as pms.

Causes of Period Pain

The two main causes of period pain are:
Stress
Family history
Stress can be the result of illness, emotional distress, poor diet, lack of proper rest or insufficient exercise.
Excessive use of caffeine in the past

Conventional Views of Period Pain

Western medicine believes period pain is the consequence of disturbances to normal hormonal profiles in the body. Such disturbance often attributes to an endocrine (a system that produce hormone) dysfunction. These disturbance often involves key female hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone.

Conventional Treatment for Period Pain

Conventional treatments for period pain are: contraceptive pills and painkillers.

Contraceptive pills contain two hormones: oestrogen and progesterone. Those two hormones mimic the action of the natural hormones in the body and thus, attempt to artificially correct the hormonal imbalance.

Hormonal treatment has many problems and its health benefits only last as long as the medication is taken. Long term use of the medication is known to increase the risk of breast cancer, cancers of female reproductive organs as well as heart diseases. 

While painkillers can certainly bring relief to the sufferer, they only reduce the pain temporarily, and cannot treat the underlying causes. 

Neither contraceptive pills nor painkillers provide a "mind relief" solution to the problem of period pain, and they frequently bring additional negative side-effects.

Period Pain: An Integrative Chinese Medicine Perspective

Chinese medicine perceives period pain as an ill consequence of accumulated emotional and physiological stress. When a woman is under stress, her body produces a range of stress hormones. These hormones alter the profile of normal hormones and sex hormones in the body. Furthermore, when our body is under stress, the blood circulation becomes sluggish. The sluggish blood flow consequently results in blood clots and period pain.

Wonder Medicine for Period Pain

Both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine provide effective treatment to period pain. Together, they work to reduce the stress level in the body, regulate hormonal imbalances, reduce tensions and improve emotional wellbeing.

Additionally, a group of herbs known as "blood-activating herbs", are used in this treatment to reduce blood clots, improve the shedding of the menstrual lining, improve blood circulation and consequently, reduces period pain.

Period pain can be completely well managed with consistent treatment and lifestyle and dietary adjustments. However, in addition to Chinese herbal medicine treatment, the individual is advised to reduce and regulate her stress in prevention of future relapses.

General Health Advice

Manage your stress level
Engage in regular, non-strenuous exercise
Participate in regular outdoor activities
Practice Tai Chi, Yoga or a similar well-being discipline.

References

Longman concise medical dictionary, 1994

Chinese-English Manual of Common-Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ou Ming, 1995