Irregular periods, menstrual cramps, abdominal pain, breast tenderness, anxiety and irritability are all problems associated with having your period.

Menstrual cramps can be quite painful and along with bloating can be very disruptive to daily life.  Many advocate slowing down, taking it easy, resting.  If you can grab a hot cup of rosehip tea, a great book and snuggle down with your favorite pet, that is an excellent remedy, but often times life interferes and occasionally the pain is stronger than just slowing down can help.  OTC medications are plentiful, they can ease the pain but don’t actually treat the problem.

Menstrual cramps can be relieved by acupuncture

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) looks at menstrual cramps as a result of Qi and Blood not able to flow freely.  This energy, or Qi stagnates and this can cause pain.  Promoting movement of this Qi and Blood, as well as regulating your body so that bloating, breast tenderness and irritability are also relived is the main goal of these treatments.

In addition to regular acupuncture treatments, the following can be used to promote movement and relieve painful periods.

Tea: Rosehips, cinnamon, chamomile and ginger teas can all assist the body during this time.  Mixing some of the raw herbs with boiling water, letting them steep for 20 minute or so before drinking.

Wine: Wine is one of the medicines in the pharmacopea of Chinese Medicine.  It can promote and stimulate the movement of Qi and Blood and taken in moderation, can be used for cramps.  Moderation prior to your cycle with wine and alcohol is important, as prior to beginning bleeding, wine can actually cause stagnation and problems.

Fish Oil Capsules: Fish oils are an amazing source of essential fatty acids, which are show to reduce overall inflammation in the body and will help to reduce the blood clotting and vasoconstriction that can cause cramping.  Take fish oils daily, from 1,200 to 4,000 mg per day.

Diet: Chinese Nutrition is an important factor in every treatment plan.  Avoid excessively cold foods and dairy products during your period.  Ice in your water at this time, icecream, and other cold foods will only serve to make the problem worse.  Drinking plenty of room temperature water, or warm tea, green leafy vegetables and regular meals will help.  Regular exercise is essential, but when you are bleeding, don’t push yourself too hard.  Gentle movements such as dancing and yoga, walking and light swimming are great.

Chinese Herbal Therapy: Chinese herbs are foremost, the best choice for helping to reduce cramping.  A Traditional Chinese Medical formula at our office is made up of granuals and is highly individualized according to the underlying problems with the health of the patient.  We can use this individual formula to address everything from cramping and bloating to irritability and irregular menstruation.

Whatever your imbalance is with your reproductive health, Traditional Chinese Medicine, with acupuncture and herbal therapy can be a great tool to help you feel better.  When you come in, we will write up a full treatment plan and help you to make the best decisions for your health.

Here’s a great short essay on how yoga helps change perceptions of body image.

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/06/yoga-feminism-melanie-klein/

Gazing up at my legs, glistening with sweat in shoulder-stand, I realized that I wasn’t searching for signs of “imperfection” or scrutinizing my body with the negative self-talk that too many of us have with ourselves on a daily basis—the abusive dialogue I had with myself most of my life.

For the first time I could remember since early childhood, I wasn’t critical of myself.

I wasn’t looking for parts of my body to control and change.

Thanks Melanie!

Introduction:

Gan Mai Da Zao Tang (甘麦大枣汤 – Licorice, Wheat and Jujube Decoction) is first mentioned in the Jin Gui Yao Lue (Essentials from the Golden Cabinet) by Zhang Zhong Jing (220 AD). It is in chapter 22 “Pulses and Patterns of Complicated Women’s Diseases”.

Zhang Zhong Jing says “Women suffering from anxiety are affected by sadness and crying, they are like lost souls and yawn frequently: use Gan Mai Da Zao Tang.”

I use this formula for depression and anxiety when the patient has a constitutional weakness or deficiency.  It is one of the most effective formulas in Chinese Medicine, often transforming anxiety almost immediately.  It is a powerful herb, yet its simplicity is profound.

Ingredients:

This formula only has three ingredients and herein lies its beauty. They are: Gan Cao, Fu Xiao Mai and Da Zao, in their own right are powerful herbs, but all are very mild and are even considered as food supplements. Gan Cao is the herblicorice, which is mild and harmonious, tonifying the spleen and stomach, regulating digestive disorders and alleviating pain.  Gan Cao is most used for its harmonizing properties, and many, if not most herbalists use it to harmonize and bring together the qualities of all of the herbs in a formula.

The next ingredient, Fu Xiao Mai, helps to stop any excessive sweating in patterns of deficiency, nourishing the heart, calming anxiety, resolving insomnia and relieving irritability.  It is literally unripe wheat grain, a food, with great nourishing and healing properties.

The last ingredient, Da Zao, is a Chinese Date.  Sweet in flavor, it is nourishing and tonifies the spleen, nourishes the blood and helps to relax restlessness and resolve emotional disturbances.

Individually, they constitute what many herbalists would call “Mild” herbs, with few if any side effects, and little strong reaction.  When put together, they become an incredibly powerful formula to resolve uncontrolled anxiety and depression.

Can it help you?

The best patient for this formula is one who has regular bouts of anxiety, depression with other symptoms such as frequent crying or feelings of always needing to cry, restless sleep, possibly night sweats, frequent yawning and possibly stomach problems.

Traditionally this formula is discussed under the heading of women’s disorders, for “restless organ syndrome”.  This organ was considered to be the womb by You Zai Jing, however another Chinese Master, Wu Qian, believed this organ to be the Heart.  This explains why this formula is good at treating emotional problems when presented on a background of menopause, PMS or Post-Partum issues, as well as why it is very helpful to men having anxiety problems presented on a background of possible deficiencies.

With the appropriate diagnosis and set of symptoms, this simple and powerful formula is able to treat such problems as:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Premenstrual syndromes
• Postpartum depression
• Palpitations
• Hysteria
• Neurosis
• Emotional issues during menopause
• Bed wetting
• And many others!

How do you handle anxiety and stress?  Is anxiety and the subsequent constant fatigue that accompany it a problem for you?

Make an appointment today to see if this formula, or another, equally powerful formula would be useful for you.

Read more about Kim Knight, MAcOM, LAc and her Chinese Herbal and Acupuncture practice

Olympic Athletes Use Cupping

Everyone seems to be getting acupuncture lately. We’ve seen movie stars with cupping marks, talking about how its cured their post partum depression and helping with recovery after childbirth. Have you checked it out yet? Do you know what you are missing?

Many people across the globe are using new therapies, Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs and other modalities generally referred to as Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM treats a huge variety of problems. Read on for how it can help you.

Pain Relief

• Acupuncture relieves pain by releasing Endorphins, the bodies “feel good” chemicals.
• Acupuncture can normalize nerve impulses by stimulating the central nervous system with acupuncture needles.

The Immune System

• Evidence indicates that acupuncture can strengthen the body’s immune systems and give it a better natural resistance to outside pathogens.
• It increases white blood cell counts.
• In increases Alpha, Beta and Gamma globulins, which can help white blood cells better fight infection and produce more immune antibodies.

Drug Recovery

• Using acupuncture for detox is getting more and more attention these days.
• Acupuncture can help with reducing withdrawal symptoms, decrease cravings, relieve stress and tension and help with insomnia.
• Many clinics through out the USA are using acupuncture detox treatments for drug addiction, alcohol addiction and smoking withdrawal.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

• Acupuncture releases tension in muscles.
• Lymphatic, nervous and circulatory systems are affected by acupuncture, making it effective to treat torn muscles, pain after trauma, sports injuries and more.
• Now days many sport figures use acupuncture to improve training and performance and speed up healing and manage pain.

Allergies

• Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can help with allergies by helping the body react normally to the substances that are causing the problems.
• Chinese herbs can help to lower the excessive immune response of the body to bring relief from common allergies.

Stress

• Acupuncture helps to balance the body and give you energy as well as relax you.
• De-stressing and relaxation can be the best way to prevent serious health problems such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and respiratory problems.

Diseases and Disorder

• Disease happens with theres serious disorder in the body. Regular acupuncture can help the body stay balanced during the onslaught of daily life.
• Acupuncture treatment is varied depending on the nature of the illness and the constitution of the person being treated, this personalized treatment can help the body to heal and prevent such things as bronchitis, asthma, diarrhea, IBS, GERD and high blood pressure… just to name a few.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is one problem that many physicians find themselves unable to treat. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can improve the body’s immunity and therefore, eliminate this problem.
• Depression and stress is often the cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, acupuncture can help to relieve these problems.

Menopause

• Are you looking for alternative methods of working with your menopause? Acupuncture can make the difference!
• Typical symptoms associated with menopause include night sweats, hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings, and heart palpitations. Don’t miss out on being able to control these symptoms, acupuncture can help.

PMS and Menstruation

• The emotional and physical discomfort associated with your monthly menstrual cycle can be put back into balance.
• Women’s health is one area where Chinese Medicine shines. Research shows that it can help with infertility as well as health challenges surrounding menstruation.

Do any of these problems plague you? Call your acupuncturist today and make an appointment to discuss how they can help. You and your health are important, make the investment today.