Acupuncture Better Than Drugs
New research finds acupuncture and Chinese herbs most effective for resolving menstrual pain. This controlled clinical trial showed an amazing 90.7% effectiveness rate for dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramping and pain). Painful periods research proves acupuncture best.
The group receiving acupuncture and Chinese herbs did much better than the group receiving NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) flufenamic acid. The NSAID achieved a 72.1% effectiveness rate. Acupuncture and herbs got 18.6% better results with longer lasting effect.
Research Study Details
86 patients participated in this study. All were suffering from painful periods. Half received acupuncture and herbs, and the other half received Western pain medications. Treatment lasted one month. Acupuncture generated a 90.7% total effective rate while the drug therapy produced a 72.1% rate.
Just as importantly, the acupuncture group had substantially less pain for longer. Recurrence of pain symptoms was significantly lower in the acupuncture group than the drug group. In additionally, plasma levels (prostaglandin) improved dramatically in the acupuncture group.
The Problem
Painful periods (primary dysmenorrhea) includes low abdominal cramping and pain before, during, or after a woman’s menstrual period. Other symptoms often include back pain, digestive issues, and nausea. Millions of women suffer from painful periods every month. It impacts quality of life and the ability to perform at home, at work and in daily functioning.
Chinese medicine recognizes primary dysmenorrhea as an imbalance of the kidneys, liver, spleen, or reproductive system. Accordingly, treatment for dysmenorrhea focuses on resolving a combination of factors including qi stagnation, blood stasis, qi and blood deficiency, liver and kidney deficiency, or accumulation of cold.
Each of these Chinese medicine diagnoses can also be understood in Western biomedical terms. For example, qi stagnation parallels the condition of excess activation of the sympathetic and autonomic nervous system along with deficient parasympathetic tone. Qi stagnation often leads to blood deficiency, which Western medicine calls anemia or subacute fatigue.
Research Study Details
The research study was conducted in the Ma Tianan physiatry department of the People’s Hosptial in Luoyang City (Henan). 86 patients were randomly divided into an acupuncture treatment group and a drug control group.
Both groups had an average age of 30 and shared a similar medical diagnosis of primary dysmenorrhea. 24 of the women in the control group had given birth to at least one child. In the acupuncture group 25 of the women had given birth to at least one child.
Drugs and Herbs
Regarding treatment, the drug control group received drug therapy including flufenamic acid (200 mg, three times per day) for one month. The acupuncture group received acupuncture along with the Chinese herb Yi Mu Cao for one month.
Yi Mu Cao is traditionally used in Chinese medicine for improving blood circulation, removing blood stagnation and clearing excess heat in the body. Yi Mu Cao is traditionally used for treating irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, and abnormal uterine bleeding. The herb has no known side effects and does not tax the liver or kidneys.
Primary Acupuncture Treatment
The following acupuncture points were used in the study:
BL31 (Shangliao)
BL32 (Ciliao)
SP6 (Sanyinjiao)
These points were chosen because they invigorate blood circulation, and have a strong ability to regulate qi flow and stop pain. Acupuncture point BL32 stimulates the pelvic plexus, regulates local internal organs, relieves spasms of the uterine muscle, and stopping cramping pain. Acupuncture treatments lasted 30 minutes.
Results
The acupuncture group’s symptoms resolved completely by day 12. The drug control group took an additional 6 days for this level of benefit to take place, with average resolution of pain by day 18. PGF2-α and PGE2 levels improved more significantly in the acupuncture group by approximately 25%.
In the acupuncture treatment group, 4 cases did not respond with significant results. In the drug control group, 12 cases did not respond to NSAID therapy. In the acupuncture treatment group, only 3 out of 43 cases had no improvement. In the drug control group, 13 of the 43 cases had no improvement.
The treatment effect lasted much longer in the acupuncture group. After a month of treatment, the acupuncture group had a total effectiveness rate of 90.7% while the control group had a 72.1% total effectiveness rate. The number of patients completely recovering in the TCM treatment group was 17. Compared to the drug control group, which had 13 patients completely recover.
The combination of acupuncture and herbs outperformed NSAID drug therapy. Painful periods research proves acupuncture best. Clinical assessments and objective measures of improvement confirmed the conclusions of the researchers. The conclusion is that acupuncture and herbs are safe and effective for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea.
Related Research Confirms Results
Additional research** had similar findings. Acupuncture combined with moxibustion had a 96.8% total effectiveness rate for the treatment of dysmenorrhea. Ibuprofen (Advil) had a 58.1% total effectiveness rate. This study used different acupuncture points (SP6, CV4 and CV3).
Next Steps
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Painful Periods Research Proves Acupuncture Best – References
*Ma TA. Effect on Plasma PGF2 d, PGE2 by Wagnl Acupuncture Combined with Yi Mu Cao Electuary Treatment for Primary Dysmenorrhea. Chinese Community Doctors. 2014.6:95-96.
**Jiao FL, Liang YC & He M. (2014). Hubei University of Medicine. Therapeutic Observation of Acupuncture-moxibustion for Primary Dysmenorrhea. Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion. 33(5).
This article, “Painful Periods Research Proves Acupuncture Best”, is a continuation in a series on current research studies involving acupuncture. New studies will be posted each week.
What our Clients are Saying
I never had painful periods until I moved and started a new job. Very high stress. Every month I started getting migraine headaches and severe cramping. A friend suggested Raleigh Acupuncture and I got treated. It helped three things – reduced my stress, stopped the migraines and totally stopped the painful periods. They were all related and all triggered by my job stress. It was fascinating learning more about my body and how things like work really do take a toll. I’m trying to lead a more balanced life now. I’m continuing acupuncture until I get a less stressful job.
Periods are supposed to be painful, right? Guess what? THIS IS NOT TRUE! Why didn’t I know about acupuncture ten years ago? Do yourself a favor. Check these people out. Don’t be freaked out by the needles. They don’t even hurt. You don’t have to put up with pain every month!!
I suffered from painful periods my entire adult life. They started me on birth control pills as a teenager, and that helped until my mid-twenties. Then they got painful again, like ten out of ten pain with terrible cramping. Luckily my job is flexible, because I would miss two days each month from the pain. I found Raleigh Acupuncture on the internet and liked their website. During the initial visit they explained why my periods were so painful and how Chinese medicine addressed it. It made a lot of sense to me so I tried it. They told me it would take three cycles to regulate my period, but honestly I starting feeling better within a few weeks. I can honestly say that now my periods are not painful at all and my period is “normal”. I am so relieved and grateful. If you have painful periods you need to try acupuncture.