In common with all branches of Chinese Medicine, traditional gynaecology has a long history - the earliest records of gynaecological medical writings stem from the Shang dynasty, (!500-1000 b.c.) ; bones and tortoise shells have been found with inscriptions dealing with childbirth problems.
One of the most famous texts in Chinese Medicine - The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine -Simple Questions (Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen) contains many different references to women's physiology and anatomy, and also addresses the diagnosis and treatment of gynaecological problems. This classic text is believed to date from 400 BCE- 260 CE..The very first chapter of the Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen describes the hormonal changes occurring in women at 7 year intervals , and the same classic describes the understanding of the causes and treatment of no periods (amenorrhoea) and abnormally heavy periods (menorrhagia).
In our modern society, Chinese Medicine, whether acupuncture or herbs, offers a great deal of help for women's health, often successfully treating such ailments as;
- Period pain
- Irregular periods
- Flooding, heavy menstrual bleeding
- Bleeding between periods, trickling or flooding
- Pre menstrual tension ; irritability, breast soreness, mood swings
- Post natal depression
- Menopausal and Peri- menopausal problems; hot flashes, panic attacks
- Endometriosis
- Fibroids
Many women at various stages in their life, find that their hormones or periods are a problem - we have a much more complicated plumbing and wiring system than our menfolk!
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs (when needed) provide safe effective ways of helping treat such conditions, with a high number of patients finding a great improvement in their original problem which brought them to seek help,and also other ailments improving or clearing up.
There is no set treatment of any symptom in Chinese Medicine - a thorough consultation and diagnostic session is always required to analyse out precisely what is behind the presenting symptoms, this then informs the practitioner's treatment strategy, whether it be Acupuncture on its own, or Chinese Herbal prescriptions in addition to acupuncture. In our practice, we usually find that acupuncture on its own is highly effective, but more entrenched conditions such as Fibroids or Endometriosis are often found to need herbal medicine, - by taking herbs every day the body is helped and nourished in a way specific to the patients needs,- again, there are no set prescriptions for any one illness or symptom - each person is taken into account as an individual, and prescriptions whether of acupuncture or herbal medicine are all based on the diagnosis of the underlying disease mechanism, instead of simply focusing on the name given to the symptoms.
For appointments or enquiriesat either Ashbourne or Ripley practises:
Telephone 01335 344561
Alternatively you can e mail using our Contact Us section