Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which includes acupuncture, Chinese medicine and dietary therapy, accommodates women in all phases of life and offers a natural alternative or complementary treatment to conventional Western medicine for a vast array of conditions. In terms of Women’s Health, TCM treats menstrual or fertility problems, morning sickness and other pregnancy complaints, it is used to get the woman’s body ready for labour and in addition TCM can relief menopausal symptoms, all this in a gentle way without unwanted side effects. Although less known in Australia, in China TCM is used as standard complementary treatment to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy in cancer patients.
This is the beginning of a series looking into the way TCM can help Women’s Health by treating a number of conditions mentioned above, starting with the female cycle.
Women’s Health – Menstrual Issues
A lot of women are affected by menstrual disturbances. Menstruation can be early, irregular or late, it can be none existent (amenorrhea), the flow can be too heavy or too light, or one can have spotting in between cycles or painful periods (dysmenorrhea). The cause for menstrual issues can be hormonal imbalances, disease of the ovaries, inflammation of the reproductive system, tumours, thyroid conditions, liver and kidney conditions and being under or overweight.
According to TCM: the Kidneys carry the inherited essence (Jing) and are foundation of the vital force (Qi). The Spleen, which encompasses the digestive system, is responsible for producing Blood. The Liver stores the Blood at night. From a TCM perspective period problems have a close connection with an imbalance in the Kidneys, Spleen or/and Liver. Also the uterus, Qi (vital force) and the Blood are closely linked with the female cycle. Traditional Chinese Medicine treats the symptoms & the root of the cause and re-establishes the inner balance.
