Getting rid of period pain is possible!
THE dysmenorrhea are a very frequent reason for consultation. This is a disruption of the gynecological system which will induce pain before, during or after the menstruation cycle. They are generally located in the lower abdomen or in the back. Often, radiation goes to the back or lower limbs at the level of the buttocks, the groin fold or the front of the thighs.
Summary
Menstruation and pain
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, pain during menstruation is always due to a disturbance of Blood and Qi (see article on Qi) in the Chongmai and Renmai meridians. Often the causes are organic with failure of the liver, spleen and kidneys. In Chinese massage Tuina as in acupuncture, it will be necessary to determine what is causing this disturbance in order to apply the most suitable protocol which will thus be most likely to lead to good results.
Contrary to what I often hear, it is not normal to have pain during your menstruation cycle. The sooner these pains are treated, the quicker the treatment will be.
Different possible cases
To do this, we will look at the symptoms in order to differentiate between the different possible cases.
- If the pain is very intense, with cramps and spasms, the person refuses palpation of their stomach, they are bent double because of the pain, the heat relieves them. If the person has a pale face, is cyanotic around the lips, the feet and hands are cold, the periods are scanty, with few clots, dark and the pain is reduced with the evacuation of the clots. So it will surely be a case of blocking by cold and humidity. This cold can come from the environment (swimming for example), from diet (raw and cold foods, cold drinks, ice cream), from exposure of the lower abdomen or back to the wind or from internal cold. (internal yang deficiency already present). When the cause is clearly identified, care will be taken to avoid it so as not to cause worsening of pain and not to have new attacks in subsequent cycles;
- The pain can have an emotional origin which will cause a blockage in the liver. It may be a person with a short temper or simply a person who became angry following a one-off event. In this case we will talk about stagnation of liver Qi. The pain will be more diffuse, there will be bloating and distension of the lower abdomen. If it is chronic, the pain will be astringent. The person will refuse the lower abdomen massage because of the pain. The amount of periods is often irregular from one cycle to the next. The pain is relieved after evacuation. There may be signs of nervousness, sighing, sensitivity, distension of the breasts, pain in the hypochondrium, chest tightness, headaches localized at the temples and sometimes at the top of the head;
- We can also have deficiency syndromes with either Qi and Blood deficiency or kidney and liver yin deficiency. In these situations, the uterus and ovaries (the gynecological system) are poorly nourished. It is said in Chinese medicine that 'The sea of blood is empty'. It may be a deficiency of qi and blood, or a liver and kidney yin deficiency. This is especially found in chronic patients who have had a long-term illness and haemorrhages. Also in women who have excess sexual intercourse or following several pregnancies. When the cycle starts, it is the tissue insufficiency that will cause the pain. You have to start bleeding to start having pain. Pain therefore appears during and especially after periods. We will have as symptoms small, moderate, ill-defined pains, which like massage, soft stomach, physical and psychological fatigue, pale and scanty periods, few or no periods, can lead to amenorrhea. Most of the time, as the blood is deficient, pale complexion, dizziness, shortness of breath, palpitation, insomnia are also possible signs. In extreme cases where there is not enough yang (heat), there may be sterility Or endometriosis.
Chinese massage treatment principles
Once the syndrome has been clearly determined, we can proceed with the appropriate massage. The ideal is to treat outside of attacks, before the onset of pain, to be able to treat the root of the disease and avoid a new episode. If we treat in the acute phase, we will focus on the branch of the disease in order to relieve pain.
According to the principles of Chinese medicine, we will try to drive away cold and humidity, drain the liver and regulate the qi, nourish the yin of the kidneys and liver, tone the qi and blood, and regulate the Chongmai meridians and Renmai.
In all cases, the treatment will begin with a massage of the sacrum and lumbar area. Then we will proceed to belly massage by focusing on specific acupuncture points. And we will massage the spleen meridian focusing on points such as Sanyinjiao And Xuehai. To complete and improve the treatment, other points will be added depending on the exact cause of the pain and it will be possible to use moxibustion for example in the case where there is cold which causes the blockage.
Take care of yourself 🙏🏼
Share this article with your loved ones and friends 🙂
613
620
2k
1k