Endometriosis is a very painful condition that affects women; the condition can lead to multiple health related issues. Instead of using traditional forms of medicine some women prefer treating the condition with acupuncture and herbal medicine. The treatments offered vary upon the level of severity as well as a woman’s future plans to have children.
Typically women between the ages of 25 to 35 are diagnosed with endometriosis, but it can occur at different stages of a women’s life. Once a month the ovaries produce hormones that cause the cells of the uterine lining to increase in number and plan for a fertilized egg. The specific cells that cause this are called endometrial cells. They should only grow inside the uterus, when they begin to grow outside of the uterus the condition is referred to as endometriosis.
This condition causes a woman a great deal of pain and can also produce scars on the ovaries, tubes, and area surrounding the pelvis. It can also lead to chronic pelvic pain, development of large cysts in the pelvis, and infertility. A doctor may provide many options for treatment such as: surgery, hysterectomy, and medication. Not all women wish to take drugs or have an invasive operation such as a surgical procedure. For women that wish to have children at some point a hysterectomy is not an option, so they search for possible alternatives such as herbal medicine and acupuncture.
Herbal medicines and acupuncture are often used collectively to not only treat the physical conditions but the mental, emotional, and spiritual conditions as well. Acupuncture has been practiced in China for thousands of years, its use in America started around the 1970s. One of the most common uses for acupuncture in America is for pain treatment.
An acupuncturist inserts small sterile needles into specific points of the body based on the purpose for the treatment. Common locations where the needles are inserted for the treatment of endometriosis are the back, legs, feet, ears, wrists, and abdomen. The amount of time that the needles will be inserted vary on the severity of the condition, typically they remain in place for 20 to 40 minutes. It is believed that acupuncture treats endometriosis by balancing hormone levels, increasing circulation, and reducing pain by boosting the amount of endorphins produced by the body.
Herbal medicine is one of the premier forms of medicine. Typically medicinal plants are used internally and externally to treat a patient and restore their health. Herbalists base their methods on the traditional use of a specific plant as well breakthroughs in modern science. There are many different plants that may be used for the treatment of endometriosis such as: horsetail, cramp bark, burdock, wild yam, motherwort, and dandelion. These plants as well as others are used to help rebalance hormones and increase the strength of the immune system so the body can naturally fight endometriosis.
Like most medicines and treatments the use of acupuncture and herbs may take some time to produce results. When a woman chooses acupuncture or herbal medicine they should only be performed under the careful watch of an acupuncturist or herbalist. For women that suffer from endometriosis, acupuncture and herbal medicine offer an alternative to surgical procedures and drugs produced in a lab.
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