Two areas Acupuncture excels in are pain management and gynecology. And of all the gynecological issues I have seen, PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) is by far the most common. A prominent acupuncturist I know who specializes in gynecology once wrote that there is an epidemic of PMS in the USA. Judging by how many women I have seen for PMS, I believe it. I’m sure it has something to do with our national stress level. In spite of the stress, acupuncture can “send PMS packing,” as it were.
Luckily, PMS is the easiest gynecological problem to treat. My experience has taught me in most cases, a substantial improvement will be noticed over the course of 3 to 4 menstrual cycles. I usually treat once or twice per week for the first month, and 2 to 4 times per month after that. The frequency depends on the severity of symptoms. I often recommend herbal therapy as well. Once symptoms are reduced substantially, the therapy is finished, unless a woman opts for occasional tuneups. In the few cases where there is no improvement after 6 treatments, we stop treatments and consider other options.
Acupuncture works by balancing the life force of the body, called “chi” in Chinese. Not only do we choose general points to improve a woman’s over-all health, we choose specific ones to address symptoms—depression, anxiety, irritability, abdominal bloating, painful menstruation, breast tenderness, etc. Besides a reduction in symptoms, it is common to witness an overall improvement in health and well-being.
I invite you to read testimonials written by a few women kind enough to contribute them.