Berkhamsted acupuncture: Research into Acupuncture for period pain

Recent research into the use of acupuncture for period pain has demonstrated that acupuncture can reduce period pain for up to a year. In this pilot study, 74 women aged 18 - 45 years old were treated with individualised acupuncture over the course of 3 menstrual cycles. More than half of the women in the study receiving acupuncture had at least a 50% reduction in the severity of their pain over the three months of treatment. 

Dr Mike Armour who lead the research noted that further larger trials may lead to the development of evidence-based guidelines for acupuncture in the treatment of period pain:

“Pragmatic trials of acupuncture have shown a reduction in pain intensity and an improvement in quality of life in women with period pain, however evidence has been limited for how changing the “dosage" of acupuncture might affect the outcome.

Our pilot study found that using manual stimulation of the needles, rather than an electrical pulse, commonly used in many Chinese studies for period pain, resulted in reduced need for pain relieving medication and improvement in secondary symptoms such as headaches and nausea. The latter was unexpected and will be explored further in future, larger trials.”

 

You can read more on the research which was featured in The Daily Mail here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4940780/Acupuncture-reduce-period-pain-YEAR.html