Uterine fibroids affect as many as three out of four women, according to the Mayo Clinic. The most common symptoms include heavy and prolonged menstrual bleeding and pelvic pain--many women don't know they have a uterine fibroid until their doctor finds it during an exam. Women who seek acupuncture for a uterine fibroid already have a diagnosis from a doctor since acupuncture exams are only external. Acupuncture does work on uterine fibroids and involves looking at the body's energetic imbalance, according to nationally certified acupuncturist Mark Shprintz, graduate of the Emperor's College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Causes and Approaches
In traditional Western medical centers, the cause of uterine fibroids is considered unknown, and treatment varies widely. Most often, doctors tell women to simply be aware of their fibroid and wait to see if their symptoms become severe. If symptoms do progress, treatments include hormone-related drugs and procedures such as surgical removal or ablation (destroying it through ultrasound). Acupuncture takes another approach altogether, focusing on the underlying issues of "blood stasis" in the body that cause the fibroid to form.
Acupuncture Treatment Plan
Before devising a treatment plan, an acupuncturist will ask the patient some questions about her medical diagnosis, to find out as much information as she already knows about the size of her uterine fibroid. The acupuncturist will palpate the abdomen, according to Shprintz, and ask the patient her goals for treatment. Some women, for example, simply want to manage the heavy menstrual flow, while others want to shrink the fibroid or ensure they can still get pregnant despite the fibroid.
Energy and Phlegm
Reducing uterine fibroids involves a committed program of acupuncture and herbal medicine, according to Shprintz, but he has seen dramatic improvements, especially related to symptoms such as pain, excessive bleeding, irritability and fatigue. Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) look at the overall energy flow within the body. When the energy and blood aren't circulating freely, Shprintz explains that energy can be drawn to a particular area, stagnate and grow. This is known in TCM as a "phlegm stasis disorder."
The Spleen Meridian
Acupuncturists look for patterns when diagnosing a problem. Since TCM looks at the body as a series of channels or meridians of energy that run throughout the body, acupuncturists target certain channels that they associate with particular organs in the body. In the case of uterine fibroids, they often look to the spleen meridian to resolve the phlegm that has collected to create the fibroid.
Needle Points
Shprintz explains that the most powerful acupuncture point used to resolve uterine fibroids is "three yin crossing," or the remote intersection of the primary energy meridians that converge at the womb. This point is indicated for a variety of reproductive issues. It's known as SP6 (spleen point number six) and is located on the inside of the calf, about a hands-width above the ankle bone. (Acupuncturists should not use this point if the patient is pregnant.) Another important point in this treatment is located above the knee on the inner leg. This area is SP10, known more poetically as "the sea of blood."
Effectiveness
If a patient commits to a course of treatment and herbs, acupuncture is an effective way to treat uterine fibroids. By focusing on the blood stasis and phlegm stasis disorder in the body--the issues at the root of the condition from a TCM perspective--an acupuncturist is especially effective in alleviating the symptoms that accompany uterine fibroids, such as fatigue, heavy bleeding, irritability and pain.
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