7 Ways That Acupuncture Can Benefit Women’s Health
In a truly modern, forward-thinking society, health equality based on gender should be taken as read.
Yet in a world where diversity and equality are front of mind for so many organisations, women are also seen as second-class citizens when it comes to having their health concerns taken seriously.
Only last year the then-President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Dr Eddie Morris, told the UK national media that waiting lists for conditions such as endometriosis, prolapse, and heavy bleeding had increased by a bigger proportion than any other area of medicine in the past two years.
And it appears that things haven’t improved much in the intervening months. Only last month BBC journalist Naga Munchetty and TV personality Vicky Pattison gave evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee about their experiences of menstrual health problems and their interactions with the NHS and private health providers.
We all know the NHS is horribly underfunded and under-resourced. The government openly acknowledges this, as do public health leaders.
But attitudes to women’s health should transcend politics and the difficult decisions that have to be made – or not – around taxation and taxpayer investment. The fact they don’t speaks volumes about the lottery that women’s health has become in modern Britain.
It’s hard to get reliable health data for how women are cared for in the UK, but in America, which faces similar challenges in attitudes to diagnoses and treatment in women’s health, the picture is a little clearer.
There, women accessing accident and emergency (ER) services typically wait an additional 18 minutes to receive pain medication.
In a relatively recent poll of nearly 2,500 women with chronic pain, 83% believed their primary care physicians had discriminated against them based on their gender.
Intentional or not, gender bias in healthcare is widespread.
It’s no wonder, then, that women are far more inclined to look at alternative, complementary forms of medicine and treatment to deal with gender-specific problems that too many health professionals might otherwise minimise by labelling them as psychosomatic or more trivial than they might be.
Inevitably, perhaps, acupuncture has become an increasingly popular option for those women who have tired of waiting to have their condition being treated with equanimity.
What is acupuncture and how does it help in addressing women’s health issues?
Like all Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture is a type of holistic treatment that treats an ailment from its core rather than treating only its symptoms.
It does this by maximising the body’s inherent healing potential by considering, and then incorporating into any treatment, your medical history, diet, mental state, and other aspects.
For women, acupuncture is a fantastic resource. It has been used for hundreds of years to treat and manage a wide range of female problems, including endometriosis, menstrual disorders, infertility, menopause, and hormonal imbalances.
Millions of women worldwide continue to benefit from acupuncture as a safe, painless, and quick treatment option.
How Acupuncture Can Help to Improve Women’s Health
There are many ways that acupuncture can help to level the playing field for women who are concerned that they aren’t getting the best care experience from the NHS or private healthcare providers.
Here are just 7 of them
Use of Acupuncture in Thyroid Conditions
Thyroid disorders affect one in every eight women at some point in their lives.
The symptoms can vary depending on whether you have too much (hyperthyroidism) or too little thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism), and they can include anxiety, depression, constipation, dry skin, restlessness, and weight gain or loss.
Unfortunately, doctors typically prescribe medication to treat thyroid issues, which can have a wide range of unfavourable side effects.
For female patients with thyroid conditions, acupuncture is an effective treatment, with studies showing that patients receiving acupuncture typically experience far fewer symptoms.
Regular acupuncture treatments can also help with related symptoms sauch as anxiety and depression.
Acupuncture for Menstrual Imbalance
Acupuncture can assist whether you have irregular periods or suffer from headaches, cramps, and mood swings related to PMS and menstruation. Acupuncture not only lessens discomfort, but it also helps to control upcoming cycles and enhance general well-being.
Acupuncture for Stress and Mental Health
Men are twice as likely as women to receive a depression diagnosis, even though women are more prone than men to experience mental health disorders, whether as a result of hormone fluctuations, environmental causes, or a mix of both.
Acupuncture has proved to help women suffering with stress, anxiety, or similar conditions by stimulating the natural healing energy we all have. In turn, this helps to restore balance to our nervous system.
Acupuncture for Menopause and Perimenopause
Menopausal side effects are common and often unpleasant, but acupuncture is a very good way to lessen and even completely eradicate them.
A University of Denmark study found that “five weeks of acupuncture reduced hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, and emotional problems in women with menopausal symptoms.”
Not only is acupuncture effective in eliminating or mitigating the symptoms of menopause, but it also supports women who, for whatever reason, would prefer not to be treated with synthetic HRT.
Acupuncture for Endometriosis
Research has shown that acupuncture can effectively treat endometriosis by improving quality of life and lessening pain and other symptoms through the reduction of inflammation, the regulation of hormones, and by enhancing blood flow.
Acupuncture for Infertility
I have written extensively on this subject in the past, and you can find my other articles about acupuncture and infertility on these blog pages. Acupuncture can treat both male and female infertility by addressing hormone imbalances. This increases the likelihood of conception by treating problems like PCOS, luteal phase defect, idiopathic infertility, hyperprolactinemia, and thyroid disorders.
For a more detailed explanation of the benefits of acupuncture in treating infertility, please take a look at my previous articles on the subject.
Using Acupuncture While Expecting
Many women use acupuncture to help to cope with the anxieties, discomforts, and changes that come with pregnancy.
Pregnancy-related problems such as constipation, tiredness, oedema, and nausea can be reduced by acupuncture, and even the birthing process can be accelerated and improved with its use.
If you’d like to know more about how acupuncture can help in treating and managing women’s health issues, please get in touch for a confidential and informal chat.