Acupuncture to Relieve Menstrual Pain: Study

Women Health News

Posted
online: Friday, February 29, 2008 at 3:18:55 PM

Some women have a hard time dealing with menstrual cramps
that most often leave them stressed out during their period.

A recent German study says that sticking pins and needles the acupuncture way
can actually relieve a woman of her menstrual pain. This might leave her
free to be more active, with her mind and body less conscious of ‘those’ days.

The study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics&Gynecology
found that63.4 percent of the women reported at least a 33 percent relief from
their symptoms following acupuncture treatment. The study enrolled 201 women
who were randomly assigned to acupuncture or no treatment for menstrual pain
and discomfort.

It was observed that after three months of treatment the average pain score was
3.1 in the acupuncture group, compared with 5.4 in the control group, using a
pain scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst pain. The treatment
included an average of about 10 sessions.

Since the study compared two groups, one that received acupuncture treatment
and the other that received no treatment, the patients might have experienced a
“placebo effect,” according to Dr. Claudia Witt of Charite
University Medical
Center in Berlin.

"Nevertheless, our study showed that acupuncture was beneficial for women
if offered as part of the health insurance system," she said.

According to the researchers, Germany’s
health insurers have recommended that acupuncture to relieve pain only be
covered by insurance if it is delivered as part of a study to investigate its
effectiveness.