Menstrual Cramps (Dysmenorrhea)

Chinese herbal medicine appears to be more effective at relieving menstrual cramps and giving period pain relief than pharmaceutical drugs, according to a new study conducted by Australian researchers and published in the journal Cochrane Library. A recent German study published in the February, 2008 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology confirms that acupuncture can relieve a woman of her menstrual pain. The majority of patients receiving acupuncture for period pain relief reported at least a 33 percent improvement in their pain level. It was observed that after three months of treatment the average pain score was 3.1 in the acupuncture group, compared with 5.4 in the control group, using a pain scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst pain. The treatment included an average of about 10 sessions.

Endometriosis

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, endometriosis affects approximately 5 to 7 million American women. Researchers believe that endometriosis is directly related to infertility for 30-50% of all infertile women. Endometriosis has been labeled by some doctors as “the career woman’s disease” because of its high correlation with increased stress levels. Endometriosis is a condition resulting from the presence of actively growing and functioning endometiral tissue in locations outside the uterus. Oriental Medicine offers an alternative to drugs or surgery, a study conducted the Shanghai College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, showed a 66.72% reduction in dysmenorrhea symptoms of pelvic pain, 72.12 % reduction in intercourse pain and 22.15% diminishing size of mass or nodule.