Acupuncture for PMS

By Toby Helmstetter, LAc

Have you read the book, “The Red Tent” by Anita Diamant? It takes place in biblical times and the central theme of the book revolves around a Red Tent where the tribal women would convene during their menstrual cycles. In the story, the women go there together during the phase of the moon when their menstruation occurs (and then, they all were in rhythm with the New Moon). There, they would rest, eat, tell stories and shut themselves away from the rest of the world in order to have some peace and communal understanding during their menstruation. Sounds kind of nice, doesn’t it? A few days of “retreat” while you’re having your period? These days, we’re a far cry from being able to take time for ourselves while we’re menstruating. We have jobs, families, deadlines and obligations that prevent us from slowing down even just a little bit when it’s “that time of the month.” Many women, too, have uncomfortable symptoms associated with their periods—some minor, some debilitating and some even embarrassing—that make us long for a way to rest during this time. The fact of the matter is, although very common, pre-menstrual syndrome, or PMS, is not typically how we are supposed to feel. According to Chinese medicine, a little discomfort is common, but some of the symptoms we experience these days are a signal of underlying imbalance.

There are many ways to categorize the more than 150 symptoms of PMS. This chart is adapted from Dr. Elizabeth Vliet and refers to what she calls “the seven PMS clusters.”

• Affective: Depression, irritability, anxiety, anger, tearfulness, panicky feelings
• Behavioral: Impulsive actions, compulsions, agitation, lethargy, decreased motivation
• Autonomic: Palpitations, nausea, constipation, dizziness, sweating, tremors, blurred vision, hot flashes
• Fluid/Electrolyte: Bloating, water-weight gain, breast fullness, hand and foot swelling
• Dermatological: Acne, oily hair, hives and rashes, herpes, allergy outbreaks
• Cognitive (Brain): Decreased concentration, memory changes, word retrieval problems, fuzzy thinking, foggy-brain
• Pain: Migraines, tension headaches, back pain, muscle and joint aches, breast pain, neck stiffness

These symptoms are the result of hormonal shifts that are related to the luteal (postovulatory) phase of a woman’s cycle. They can occur from one day to two weeks prior to menstruation and for some women, may continue even after the period has ended. The symptoms a woman experiences may change each month or they may have a regular pattern which they associate with PMS. Some women may be more likely to experience PMS because the symptoms are related to the way hormonal changes affect their bodies but other occurrences in a woman’s life can affect the severity of their PMS symptoms as well. Life changes such as puberty, post-partum, peri-menopause, after starting or ending birth control pills and after tubal ligation are common transformative times when our menstrual cycles can be adversely affected. Not only that, day-to-day stressors and major life-changing events often contribute to an increased intensity of PMS symptoms. All of these situations are usually difficult emotionally and physically by themselves but become intensified by the onset of the pre-menstrual time. It can affect our relationships, productivity, and our comfort with our own bodies.

Traditionally, conventional medicine has little to offer women in terms of treatment other than birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, or anti-depressants. But not every woman wants to take medication, especially when those medications can create uncomfortable side-effects of their own. Acupuncture offers a natural approach to treating PMS and positive results from treatment occur with no side-effects. A November 2002 study in the medical journal Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics showed that the success rate of acupuncture in treating PMS symptoms was 77.8% whereas it was 5.9% in the placebo control group. Studies show promising data that acupuncture affects the menstrual cycle by having a neuroendocrine affect on the body. This means that the different combinations of acupuncture points play a role in the release of hormones responsible for regulating the menstrual cycle. By establishing a regular cycle and balancing the many hormones involved, PMS symptoms decline. The symptoms that are caused by high levels of estrogen in the luteal phase of the cycle will disappear as the progesterone and estrogen levels become more balanced and regular with each cycle. Acupuncture is also very relaxing and is known to be an effective treatment for reducing stress. By balancing hormonal shifts and helping to manage stress, PMS responds very well and very quickly to acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Symptoms can improve significantly after the first month of treatment and those improvements continue and are maintained over successive menstrual cycles. Herbal medicine may also be a part of a treatment for PMS.

While acupuncture and herbs can quickly resolve the PMS symptoms initially, in order to sustain the positive results of treatment your acupuncturist may offer up some lifestyle and diet modifications. For instance, PMS is caused by an excess or sensitivity to estrogen in the body. Some foods can dramatically increase the symptoms of PMS such as soy products, alcohol, and sugar. It will not be a goal for you to maintain a restrictive diet; however some smart, healthy changes can make a world of difference in your hormone balance. It is also important to make sure you have a complete multivitamin supplement with good sources of A, B, C, calcium and magnesium and your acupuncturist can help you find the right vitamin for your constitution. Exercise also has a profound effect on our hormones and it activates the production of endorphins, a natural feel-good chemical in our bodies. In Chinese medicine, exercise is said to keep our qi moving. When our energy, or qi, is stuck we will feel tired and irritable and often experience pain, depression and PMS. By maintaining healthy exercise routines, you can help your overall energy physically, mentally and emotionally.

While we may not have a ‘Red Tent’ to go to during our cycles, we can learn to appreciate our menstruation on some level. By using acupuncture to relieve our uncomfortable PMS symptoms our periods become an indicator of how the previous month went, and what we want to do differently the next month. Bleeding is detoxifying and in some circles of natural medicine, menstruation is believed to be the reason many women live longer than men—because each month we have the opportunity to shed toxins through our blood. If you expand this meaning to not just physical toxins but to mental and emotional ones as well, even if we are able to take just a moment to acknowledge it, our menstrual cycle can become a powerful tool for self-observation and transformation. Each cycle ends and begins anew. And as women we get to experience first-hand that that is what life is all about.