Many women have resigned themselves to the monthly emotional and physical roller coaster that their menstrual period brings. Psychological symptoms include weepiness, moodswings, irritability, anger, and depression. Physical symptoms can include bloating, cramping, backaches, breast tenderness, food cravings, headaches, acne, and digestive problems.
Oriental medicine has developed treatment for the many complaints of pre-menstrual syndrome over the past two thousand years. Treatment and prevention involve the use of acupuncture and herbs along with nutritional and lifestyle counseling.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are based on the theory that life energy, called “Qi” (pronounced “chee”), flows through channels or meridians in the body. When a person is under mental, emotional, or physical stress, the energy, which normally flows freely through the body, begins to stagnate.
This may not sound rational to the modern mind, so it might be helpful to illustrate an obvious example of “Qi Stagnation”. When a person is under stress, their neck and back muscles tense up. This can interfere with nerve stimulation to...