Pre Menstrual Syndrome is one of the most common gynaecological issues for women.

In this blog I am going to talk about pre menstrual syndrome, discuss a review of many studies (RCT) and talk a little about what you can expect during a visit to a good Acupuncturist.

In this review a total of 15 studies, comprising of 1103 cases, were included. This review showed that acupuncture at anytime of the month is effective for PMS. I have found this to be true in my practice also. I am specifically referring to pre menstrual syndrome. If you have symptoms like bloating, nausea, headaches, moodiness, tearfulness, cramps, headaches, breast tenderness, water retention and back pain. It can be one of a combination of those. If you are putting up with PMS every month, you really don’t have to.

The review tells us that, there are lots of different recommended protocols (treatment strategies) for Pre Menstrual Syndrome but no one single agreed protocol. In layman’s terms, that means a specific placement of a combination of needles. However, it’s important to note, that all Acupuncturists will all use some of the same acupuncture points. There will be commonalities.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. It allows for flexibility in treatment.

Once you are going to an Acupuncturist that is qualified and a member of one of the professional organisations, Acupuncture Council of Ireland or the Acupuncture Foundation Professional Association they can do a correct Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis, and you will get results.

Of course, it is always beneficial that the Acupuncturist has a very good understanding of any health issue from a Western Medicine perspective, because firstly that is the language we are more familiar with in the West. It is easier for you to understand what is being explained to you about your issue. This is important. Secondly, it’s important when going for any treatment that the Acupuncturist has a good understanding of your overall health, and history previous to you current problem. Finally, it allows for better communication with your health care provider, your doctor or nurse

Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory has inbuilt flexibility, so approaches can be tailored to the person in front of the Acupuncturist. One of the major differences between Chinese and Western Medicine is that the same disease in Traditional Chinese Medicine e.g. Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Migraine or PMS can have 5 or 6 different patterns. A pattern simply is the combination of signs in the body that you are asked about when you first meet your acupuncturist. In other words your complete medical history. This is combined with tongue and/or pulse diagnosis. Sometimes palpation, is used, where gentle to firm pressure is applied. with your consent and sometimes the ear is observed. Usually it’s a combination unless your practitioner specialises in specific type os diagnosis. I specialise in using pulse diagnosis, as I have found t to be most accurate. Some of the questions you are asked during a first consultation may seem unusual, but only because you won’t have been asked those by your GP.

Two examples:

What is the quality of your sleep like when you attend for a pain in your knee.

Questions about your menstrual cycle when you come for headaches that are not necessarily associated from your GPs perspective. .

For other gynaecological issues , timing can be very relevant. Make an appointment and the Acupuncturist will discuss a plan of action, dependant on your problem.

The review found that

“overall, acupuncture significantly increased the effective rate of PMS compared with medicine and sham acupuncture. Subgroup analyses showed no significant difference among different intervention time to start acupuncture treatment.”