One Woman Shares What Happened When She Tried Acupuncture for PMS

When you’re suffering from a bad bout of PMS, you’re bound to try just about anything to find relief.

But instead of turning towards anti-inflammatories and painkillers, and curling up on the couch with a heating pad, why not try acupuncture? The noninvasive therapy can help to combat the unpleasant exhaustion, headaches, mood swings, cramps and just about every other side effect of your monthly “gift.”

In a recent Bustle Article, writer Emma McGowan shared her experience when she turned to acupuncture for some holistic relief.

Struggling with suffering from nearly two weeks of both the physical and emotional ramifications of PMS (due to irregular periods) she opted not to go on hormonal birth control, and instead followed her aunts suggestion that she try acupuncture. (Her aunt is an acupuncturist, after all.)

With confliction options around the efficacy of acupuncture for PMS (though we’re firm believers in it’s power!) she decided to go for it, and her experience was met with big results.

After six months of treatments she shared, “First of all, I can tell you that my physical symptoms pretty much disappeared within the first couple months of doing weekly treatments. No or minimal boob swelling and nipple soreness and I only feel like I want to crawl out of my skin for a day or two, as opposed to two solid weeks.”

As far as her emotional issues, she said they did seem to amplify as her physical ones passed, though she acknowledges, “But there was also a lot going on in my life during that time, so it can be a little hard to gauge.”

Overall, would she recommend acupuncture to anyone considering it? She says, “Sure! If it’s affordable for you, give it a shot. The risks are low. And it might just make you feel 10 times better.”

More Evidence Points to Acupuncture Helping Menstrual Cramps

If you’re a woman, you know the feeling. That time of month rolls around, and the cramps start to flare up. Unfortunately, cramps are never convenient, and our lives don’t stop for them. Work, errands, and family still need to be taken care of, causing many women to deal with pain from menstrual cramps by taking pain medication.

Whether your menstrual cramps are minor or severe, they can take a toll on a woman’s quality of life. Acupuncture is thankfully there as a remedy, and now more evidence is pointing to acu’s viability as a long-term solution for menstrual cramps, not just a temporary fix. One of the reasons acupuncture works as a long-term solution to menstrual cramps is because of its ability to treat the root source of the problem, not just the symptoms, and its versatility in treating other side effects that severe menstrual pain can contribute to.

 “After having my menstrual cycle for twelve years, and feeling like it was an enemy and not a beautiful time for my body, I was really up for trying anything,” Kenslee, a 25 year old told Bustle.com. “My menstrual pain and fatigue decreased immensely, and it also helped with my hormonal acne. I began sleeping better, and my mood swings around my cycle became less severe.”

"[Acupuncture] promotes optimal blood flow to and through the reproductive organs, reduces chronic inflammation, improves hormone balance, and reduces stress,” Merritt Jones, an acupuncturist and founder of Natural Harmony Reproductive Health and Jones Family Acupuncture told Bustle.

Over the past few years, numerous studies have been done that show acupuncture’s effectiveness in treating menstrual cramps and other issues in the reproductive system. Hopefully more and more women come to experience acupuncture as the safe, natural, reliable, and long-lasting treatment option for pain from menstrual cramps that it is.

Got PMS? Try Acupuncture

Many women know it all too well: the cyclical bloating, breakouts, cravings and yes, mood swings that strike right around the time your monthly period is due. Pre-Menstrual Syndrome, or PMS for short, is a series of symptoms women feel due to the strong hormone fluctuations they experience with their menses.

According to the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, “Several million women report painful periods, cramps, and PMS that can disrupt life for 7-10 days each month,” with common symptoms include and ranging from bloating, headache, acne, and irritability or severe mood swings.

To help ease these symptoms, a healthful diet, exercise, medicinal herbs, and acupuncture are recommended as they, “can all be used to better regulate these hormonal fluctuations.”

As a form of natural relief, the article explains that, “Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) analyze the flow of energy, or qi, and blood in each patient as a means of identifying imbalances that are to blame for their diseases or medical conditions. Cramping associated with the menstrual cycle or menopause is often due to the stagnation of qi.” Additionally, a deficiency in quality qi or blood flow can also lead to chronic pain.

The most common acupuncture point for PMS is along the liver meridian, or Liver Qi, which is believed to be integral to the overall flow of energy, life force, through the body. By stimulating this point, stagnant blood can be combated, which can ultimately lead to pain relief and restoration of balance.  

The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine states, “While the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has no official stance on the efficacy of acupuncture on PMS, many of the professional members recognize that acupuncture helps to regulate our endorphins and other biochemistry.”

In other words, it quite literally can’t hurt to give acupuncture a try in an effort to help combat when PMS rears its ugly head.