Period Pain & Acupuncture

How is menstrual pain is treated with Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine?

If you’re suffering from period pain, my hope by the end of this post is a perspective shift.

Painful periods are common.

Painful periods are not normal.

Acupuncture & The Menstrual Cycle

There’s a lot of contributing factors to menstrual cycle irregularities, PMS symptoms, and unpleasant periods. Stress, emotional imbalances, diet, lack of sleep, overwork, lifestyle choices, or secondary factors like endometriosis, fibroids, and cysts are some examples.

It’s engrained in many of us that menstruation simply sucks, and we just have to live with it. Whether you’re going off of hormonal birth control and nervous about the adjustment period, or ready to stop relying on OTC pain meds every month, investing in the improvement to your quality of life is up to you.

Our bodies are supposed to cycle through a gentle rhythm, and the goal is to work with the flow rather than suppress it.

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The Traditional Chinese Medicine approach to naturally regulating your hormones…

TCM utilizes a number of diagnostic techniques to arrive at a pattern diagnosis individualized to you, which means by compiling a list of your symptoms, we work to find the root cause of pain and discomfort in your body and identify any constitutional imbalances in order to provide a holistic treatment. While the treatment focus is to alleviate your menstrual pain, we treat your body as a whole in order to achieve the best results. Treating with TCM can involve acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, herbal medicine and food therapy. The way each of these are applied is dependent on the individual.

Given your system operates differently at different times of the menstrual cycle, we work with the varied physiology of each phase to ensure each moving part is functioning properly and optimally.

Acupuncture Treatments By Menstrual Phase

Menstrual Phase

Acupuncture increases circulation to the pelvic area to facilitate proper shedding of the uterine lining, as well as activates the release of pain relieving chemicals to reduce cramps and alleviates secondary PMS symptoms like digestive irregularities, headaches, and fatigue.

Follicular Phase

The uterine lining thickens due to an increase in estrogen, so the focus of acupuncture is to build blood and the body’s yin energy to assist the growth, support the growing follicle, as well as supplement your system post menstruation.

Ovulatory Phase

Hormones from the pituitary gland are activated, body temperature rises, and an egg is released from the ovaries. Treatment focuses on encouraging this release by boosting the body’s yang energy and helping the brain properly communicate with the reproductive organs.

Luteal Phase

Progesterone increases, and the uterine lining continues to thicken. Without fertilization, both estrogen and progesterone will decrease and menstruation will begin. Treating during this phase helps a more gentle transition of hormonal fluctuation and preps the body for the arrival of the menses.

Ways to flow with your cycle, rather than against it

Menstrual phase — energy will naturally decrease, thus slow down, engage in passive gentle exercise and consume dark leafy greens, lentils & animal protein.

Follicular phase — energy will naturally increase, thus use that fuel to engage in movement that increases the heart rate, and consume foods to support your estrogen and yin energy, such as healthy fats, eggs, beans, sesame seeds, and root veggies.

Luteal phase — PMS, appetite increase and sugar cravings may start, thus consume sweet potatoes, rice and quinoa to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, and increase fiber intake to support digestion. Listen to your energy levels here, as it may be high at first and naturally decline; choose movement that matches.