Period Cramps Treatment
In addition to treating menstrual symptoms, acupuncture reduces symptoms of PMS by reducing inflammation and relieving pain associated with PMS by inserting needles into the skin.
Inflammatory uterine fibroids, uterine fibroids, or endometriosis may cause cramps during menstruation. Approximately 10% of women experience some kind of PMS symptoms before menstruation that affects their quality of life. The use of acupuncture and herbal medicine has become a popular therapeutic approach in recent years. To further investigate the most effective Korean Medicine treatment for PMS/PMDD, we reviewed the effects of acupuncture and herbal medicine in the past decade.
An electronic literature search of studies published between 2002 and 2012 was conducted using electronic databases. In our review, acupuncture and herbal medicine were assessed in randomized controlled clinical trials for treating PMS/PMDD. Acupuncture or herbal medicine may be used as an intervention. In tabular and text format, we summarized the clinical information as well as statistical tests from the articles. A study outcome was presented as a rate of improvement (%) or an end-of-treatment score.
The search resulted in 19 studies. Eight randomized controlled clinical trials for acupuncture and 11 for herbal medicine were identified as matching the criteria. For this study, we selected different types of acupuncture techniques such as traditional acupuncture, hand acupuncture and moxibustion, and traditional acupuncture with auricular points. Xiao yao san, Vitex Agnus castus, Hypericum perforatum, and other herbal medicines have been studied. Three species of Elsholtzia splendens, Cirsium japonicum, and Gingko Biloba were found. There was a significant improvement in symptoms related to PMS/PMDD for experimental groups that received acupuncture and herbal medicine treatment (other than Cirsium japonicum). In contrast to conventional medicine, limited evidence supports alternative medicinal interventions, such as acupuncture and herbal medicine, for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. In studies of premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, acupuncture and herbal medicine reduced symptoms by 50% or more. There have been no serious adverse events reported in either acupuncture or herbal medical interventions, proving their safety, while most of the interventions provided over 50% relief for PMS/PMDD symptoms. Many participants may have been excluded from some studies because of stricter diagnostic criteria. Furthermore, the rate of improvement in the outcomes of the studies may have differed greatly depending on the severity of the symptoms
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