PMS Treament: A Traditional Chinese Medicine Approach

It isn�t until recent years that PMS was considered an actual affliction that women experience. Pre-menstrual syndrome is very real symptoms the majority of women experience before their actual menstruation. With both physical and emotional symptoms it can be unbearable for some women. PMS has been attributed to a hormonal imbalance. It is believed to occur because of an over production of estrogen and deficiency of progesterone. The syndrome usually starts a week to ten days before the actual flow of blood. Within the first hour of blood flow the syndrome ceases until the following month. Western medicine attempts to treat some of the symptoms associated with PMS with various drugs. For instance if the patient experiences anxiety or stress they are given Buspirone or Alprazolam. If the PMS symptom is depression, then the PMS treatment is Fluoxetine or Prozac. There is a drug given for every PMS symptom as a PMS treatment.

Traditional Chinese Medicine approaches PMS treatment differently. The PMS treatment is based on the group of internal organs it affects and their energy pathways or meridians. In Traditional Chinese Medicine PMS treatment involves three body organs. They are the Liver, Heart and Spleen. The reason these three organs are involved are because emotional disturbances attack the liver. Liver is a wood element. Wood generates fire. Fire is the heart�s element. Fluids diminish or put out fire. This creates a heart blood deficiency. Heart is the house for shen or our spirits (our essences, what make us as we are). The blood deficiency makes the heart to weak to store shen. The spleen is also deficient as a result of the blood deficiency (the spleen makes red blood cells). Spleen deficiency causes Phlegm. Phlegm causes heat and heat bothers the Heart. So PMS causes symptoms because of these conditions described.

Traditional Chinese Medicine calls the symptoms patterns. The patterns involved with PMS are Liver Qi stagnation, Heart Blood, Deficiency pattern; and Phlegm-Heat Harassment pattern. In order to differentiate the patterns to have an effective PMS treatment the tongue and the pulse are also analyzed. This way things like other characteristics such as a heavy early period would associate with Liver Qi Stagnation, scanty and late periods with Heart Blood Deficiency and vaginal discharge with Phlegm Heat Harassment.

Acupuncture has been used to successfully deal with PMS Treatment. Once the symptoms are pinpointed and type of pattern established both herbs and acupuncture are use for PMS treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The PMS symptoms associated with Liver Qi Stagnation include depression, anger outbursts, irritability, moodiness, mood swings, chest congestion, pain under ribcage, headache, anxiety maybe even talking to ones self. The periods are early and heavy. The tongue is coated and the pulse wiry. In addition to acupuncture the herbs Buplerum (Chai Hu) and Mood Smooth (Jia Wei Xiao Yao San) are given. Also a Buplerum Formula (Chai Hu Shu Gan San), which has been used for this pattern, is given. The Buplerum formula consists of Buplerum, White Peony, Aurantium Fruit, Cnidium, Cyperus Tuber, Licorice and Tangerine Peel.

The PMS treatment for Heart Blood Deficiency Pattern is based on Chronic illness or excessive menstrual blood loss and the other related symptoms. The related symptoms include emotional upset, sadness, fatigue, sluggishness, heart palpitations, insomnia, poor memory, pale complexion, periods may actually be scanty and light, white coated tongue and thin pulse. The herbs that go with the acupuncture in this PMS treatment are Biota seed (Bai Zi Ren) and jujubee (Suan Zao Ren), which are 2 important heart tonic herbs. Heart Yin Tonic (Tian Wan Bu Xin Dan) and Heart Tonic (Yang Xin Tang) are two formulas for nourishing the Heart and calming the Spirit, which are also used in this PMS Treatment. Biota seed, Jujubee Asparagus, Lilyturf Root, Angelica, Schizandra, Rehmannia, Ginseng, Codonopsis, Polygala and Platycodon are the herbs that make up the tonics.

Finally the last PMS treatment is done for Phlegm-Heat Harassment Pattern.This condition, is brought on by constantly eating hot spicy foods, greasy fried foods and by emotional trauma. Symptoms include anxiety, red eyes, insomnia before the period, anger, tightness in the chest, poor appetite, a red tongue with a yellow sticky coating and wiry/slippery/rapid pulse. The herbs used in this PMS treatment include Pinellia tuber (Ban Xia) for resolving phlegm and Bamboo shavings (Zhu Ru). Both are excellent at alleviating phlegm from the body and Bamboo Shavings alleviate anxiety. Warming Gallbladder Decoction (Wen Dan Tang) is a popular herbal remedy for this pattern. The herbs for the decoction are Pinellia Tuber, Bamboo Shavings, Aurantium Fruit, Tangerine Peel, Licorice, Poria, Rhubarb, Acori Graminei and Curcuma.

All the PMS symptoms in this article subside after the period begins. That is the classic trait of a PMS symptom. It starts a week to two before the actual flow of blood and then stops as if it never happened.

Chinese Medicine