Can Acupuncture Help Endometriosis

Women suffering from endometriosis will try just about anything to free themselves from the horrible pain they routinely find themselves in. With Western medicine offering solutions along the lines of pain killers, hormone therapy, laparoscopic surgery and hysterectomy, some patients are looking for more natural and less invasive solutions for this condition. Approximately 1-3% of all women suffer from endometriosis, but for women suffering from infertility, 30-50% of them might have endometriosis. Other signs and symptoms could be painful periods, abdominal and low back pain, pain during sexual intercourse and frequent (possibly painful) urination. As with a lot of other chronic conditions, patients can also easily become depressed. Acupuncture is a holistic medicine that can be used, by itself or in conjunction with Western medicine, to ease pain, restore a normal period, reduce urinary frequency and most importantly for many women, help them to get pregnant.

Endometriosis is a condition where endometrial tissue grows outside of the uterus. In most cases this abnormal tissue growth occurs in the ovaries and the fallopian tubes causing fertility issues and pain, but it is possible to find endometrial tissue in many other parts of the body too. This endometrial tissue binds to normal tissue and organs leaving adhesion's or scar tissue. Build up of scar tissue can decrease vascularity, which in turn negatively impacts the organ or tissue function. If endometrial tissue is in the ovaries, it may make the egg unable to be fertilized. In the case of endometrial tissue in the fallopian tubes, the egg may not get fertilized or it may get fertilized and stay in the fallopian tubes, causing an ectopic pregnancy.

Who's at risk?
Typically, endometriosis is most commonly diagnosed in women in their 20's and 30's. Most likely this is due to women in this age range seeking medical care for infertility and pelvic pain. While a patients signs and symptoms may point to endometriosis and laparoscopy can support it, endometriosis can only be diagnosed by a histological confirmation. Rarely is endometriosis found in postmenopausal women. Also, women that do suffer from endometriosis will find the symptoms diminish or even cease when they reach menopause. Having a family member with endometriosis increases your chances of being affected similarly by 7%. Other women at risk are women who wait until their later fertile years to conceive and women who work long hours in stressful jobs.

How does acupuncture diagnose and treat endometriosis?
In Chinese medicine, endometriosis is typically diagnosed as Blood Stagnation, due to clotting of menstrual blood. While this is the most common, there are other possible diagnosis that co-exist, including Liver Qi Stagnation, Spleen Qi Deficiency and Kidney Yang Deficiency. Each of these would present differently and therefore be treated differently. A patient with Liver Qi Stagnation would show signs of menstrual headaches, PMS, irritability and breast distention. Spleen Qi Deficiency would include pre-menstrual spotting, heavy bleeding, looses stools, fatigue, abdominal bloating, hemorrhoids and a heavy bearing down sensation in the abdomen. Finally, Kidney Yang Deficiency would have symptoms like frequent clear urination, cold hands and feet, tinnitus, nocturia, low back pain, copious clear vaginal discharge, cysts and a general feeling of being cold. Treating the condition, it's important to select treatments specific to the patients diagnosis, but moving the blood and Qi would be beneficial in most every case. Tonifying Qi and Blood or Kidney Yang may be appropriate in other circumstances.

Besides acupuncture, Chinese herbal formulas can be extremely helpful in treating endometriosis. Ask your Chinese medical practitioner if you're a good candidate for herbal formulas. Also, making dietary and lifestyle changes can aid in regulating your cycle and keep menstrual blood clotting to a minimum. Visit our website for more tips on treating endometriosis naturally and other conditions acupuncture treats. There are legitimate alternative health care options out there to help you overcome your health problems. So, before you commit to having a surgery or taking medications for the rest of your life, take a look around and see what complementary and alternative therapies you have.