Researchers in China have shown that the acupuncture point sanyinjiao (SP-6), traditionally used for a variety of gynaecological problems, does indeed have a specific and immediately beneficial effect on period pain.
Fifty-two women with period pain were each assigned to one of four groups: electroacupuncture at SP-6; electroacupuncture at a corresponding acupuncture point on the opposite side of the leg; elecroacupuncture at an adjacent non-acupuncture point; no acupuncture. They received 10 minutes treatment at a time when they scored their pain as 4/10 or greater, and a further 30 minutes treatment on the following two days. The SP-6 treatment group experienced highly significant reductions in pain scores, compared to the other groups.
(A Comparative Study on the Immediate Effects of Electroacupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP-6), Xuanzhong (GB-39) and a Non-Meridian Point, on Menstrual Pain and Uterine Arterial Blood Flow, in Primary Dysmenorrhoea Patients. Pain Med, Oct 2010.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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