First comes love, then comes marriage … and then come the fibroids?
If so, you are not alone. More than half of all women will develop uterine fibroids during their lifetime, most before they reach menopause. Contrary to what many women believe, these noncancerous tumors often require treatment because they can cause painful symptoms, anemia and other serious problems. While they usually do not interfere with a woman’s ability to conceive children, they may cause heavy menstrual bleeding and pain.
Yet, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), many women try to avoid treatment or fail to seek help until their symptoms become severe enough that surgery is required.
To help you stay healthy and symptom-free, Chinese medicine offers a number of options for preventing and treating uterine fibroids. Treatments for this condition typically involve Acupuncture and use of certain Chinese herbs.
Acupuncture for Uterine Fibroids
Acupuncture is one form of treatment that helps balance the body’s Qi energy to promote healthy Blood flow. It can therefore be used to treat uterine fibroids by promoting blood flow to the uterus, helping treat pain and reducing fibroids.
Acupuncture treatments are given to the patient every day until the symptoms disappear. Typically, once the issue has been resolved, maintenance sessions would benefit the patient to ensure on-going relief. The Chinese needle placements used for treatment depend on the location of each individual’s fibroid tumors. In addition, between Acupuncture sessions, patients usually take herbs to help the process.
During acupuncture treatment for uterine fibroids, the needles are inserted into the skin and carefully manipulated to stimulate energy flow in specific meridians. Meridians is a system of networking channels throughout the body. They act as paths through which Qi, or energy, flows.
In turn, this helps relieve symptoms such as pain and heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia). Other benefits of Chinese medicine include helping control blood sugar levels and reducing high cholesterol levels. As a result, many women see their blood levels of hemoglobin go up and they have less fatigue and lower risks for anemia. All in all, acupuncture helps restore normal menstrual function, as well as improve fertility rates.
Lastly, Acupuncture does not require general anesthesia or surgery and helps reduce your need for other medications (such as painkillers).
Chinese Medicine Helps Treat Fibroids
Chinese medicine utilizes natural herbs and other ingredients to promote the body’s natural healing processes. While it has been used for many years to treat various conditions, there has been increased interest in how Chinese medicine helps treat uterine fibroids. Using Chinese herbs is an alternative option for women who want to avoid surgery. It should be noted that women with cancer or tumors originating from non-uterine tissue are not eligible to use Chinese medicine.
The most common herbs used in treating uterine fibroids with Chinese medicine include the following:
- Puerariae lobatae Radix et rhizoma (Ge gen)
- Caulis Akebiae trifoliate (Mu tong)
- Curcumae Longae Rhizoma (Jiang)
- Undaria pinnatifida (Wakame)
Please do not take these herbs alone, as they are meant to work in a Chinese Herbal Formula. Please see Dr. Lucky for an individual prescription herbal formula.
Herbal Remedies
Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on using herbs. Herbal ingredients are used for diagnosing and treating of illnesses.This contrasts with Western medicine, where prescriptions might contain one or more active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The following are some examples that can be found in Chinese-medicine treatments to treat uterine fibroids, together with their properties and functions:
- Puerariae lobatae Radix et Rhizoma (Ge gen)– This herb helps expel heat and treat blood stagnation. It can be used to help relieve pain, including that associated with uterine bleeding. Further, it is thought to help doctors reduce the size of fibroids so they are easier to remove during surgery.
- Caulis Akebiae trifoliate (Mu tong)- This herb is used to treat both uterine bleeding and pain. It also helps with the treatment of qi and blood stagnation, as well as phlegm turbidity.
- Curcumae Longae Rhizoma (Jiang)- This herb is used to treat uterine bleeding and pain. It also works to dispel dampness and reduce turbidity.
- Undaria pinnatifida (Wakame)- This seaweed helps prevent blood stasis, and can hence help with uterine bleeding. Further, it contains iodine, which plays a role in metabolism and the prevention of goiters.
In this article, we saw how Chinese medicine helps treat uterine fibroids. For those who want to avoid surgery, consider trying Acupuncture and herbal remedies to help with uterine bleeding and pain. While Western medicine has helped many people, not all find relief from it. This is why alternative medicines, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, have gained momentum in researching and treating various conditions.
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Lucky to find relief from Uterine Fibroids and Declare your health independence!
