If you’re a woman or have ever talked to one, chances are you’ve heard about the many pains that can be associated with the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. Thankfully, according to two new studies, acupuncture can help women with problems associated with both.
Although many different symptoms may affect a woman on her menstrual cycle, one of the more common ones is severe cramps, which affect as many as half of women. Recently, a group compared the results of 27 different studies involving 3,000 women total to determine if acupuncture was a viable treatment for severe cramps. The researchers determined that acupuncture could help treat pain from cramps because it would spur the production of serotonin and endorphins to help with the pain. Acupuncture for menstrual cramping would be a good option for women who did not want to use drugs because of the negative side effects.
Another recent study also revealed that acupuncture could be an effective treatment for the depression many women get during pregnancy. In the study of 150 pregnant women with major depression, one-third of participants received acupuncture that was specifically catered to depression, another third received general acupuncture, and the final third received massage therapy. All 150 participants received 12 sessions over an 8 week period. Based on the treatments, the researchers discovered that women who received the depression-specific acupuncture had a higher response rate to the treatment than the other participants. Having a solution to pregnancy-related depression is great since pregnant women cannot take antidepressants.
It seems as though at the same time doctors are finding new uses for acupuncture, people are becoming more receptive to it and other forms of alternative therapy. If this trend continues, what will you do to prepare for potential new types of customers?
