What is TCM?
Traditional Chinese medicine views the state of bodily systems tending towards harmony. Often symbolized by the Yin and Yang equilibrium. It has been practiced for over 2000 years.
Yin embodies qualities such as receptivity, stillness, and nourishment. It represents rest, night, cooling, form.
Yang embodies activity, movement, and transformation. It represents warming, day, movement, and function.
These two energies are in constant flux maintaining dynamic equilibrium and supporting the body’s many vital functions. This is known as a smooth flow of Qi (vital energy) in your body.
Blood and Qi are mutually interdependent. When there is good flow of Qi and blood in your body, there is regular menstruation.
Qi is as related to body organs as it is with psychology and emotions.
When Qi moves, blood moves unrestricted throughout your body.
When either is disrupted, deficient, blocked, built up, or not moving it leads to disharmony and many symptoms that affect our menstruation.
Menstrual irregularity can be caused by disharmony outside of your reproductive organs such as kidneys, liver, spleen. So restoring Qi and flow to these parts of the body can balance out hormones and therefore cycles.
Source: VeryWell
The Spleen gives rise to new blood and Qi and regulates their flow.
The Liver’s function is to smooth out and cause free flow of Qi and blood.
According to TCM when too much (excess) or too little (deficiency), hot, cold, dampness (moisture) enter the blood, it can disrupt the dynamic flow of Qi and blood.
Many factors like emotions, exercise, diet, rest and others influence Qi circulation.
Symptoms like nausea, bloating, irregular cycles point to multiple underlying imbalances.
Instead of just treating the symptoms (ie. irregular period), TCM seeks to evaluate patterns to diagnose where the imbalances are coming from. This requires a deep look at multiple organ systems. Then it offers remedies through a range of techniques such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, moxibustion, meridians and more.
Source: Henry Ford Health
Here are a few patterns of disharmony that are relevant:
Types of Disharmony
Source: Kanpobliss
Liver Qi & Blood Stagnation
Characterized by emotional stress, irritability, PMS, breast tenderness, cysts and fibroids, acne, dark or clotted menstrual blood, abdominal pain, painful cramps, and irregular menstruation.
Also influenced by outside factors like cold weather, cold foods like raw vegetables, stress, restlessness, depression, and hormone contraception such as IUDs, or surgery
Focusing on strengthening the liver, promoting and nourishing blood flow, and removing the internal heat caused by Qi and blood stagnation will lead to rebalancing.
Spleen Qi Deficiency & Phlegm Damp Accumulation
Caused by overwork, overthinking, emotional stress, poor diet, lack of movement, dairy products, sweets.
Manifests as fatigue, poor digestion, bloating, and irregular periods with light flow.
Leads to insufficient blood creation for healthy menstruation because a weak spleen causes stagnation of fluids causing phlegm and dampness accumulation.
Foods that are cold and raw are harder for Spleen to process and break down, warmer and cooked foods are easier by contrast that
Eat foods that aid the production of blood. Examples include: red meat (especially beef and liver), poultry, and fish. Other foods high in iron include peas, lentils, beans, tofu are also great.
Kidney Deficiency
Associated with symptoms like fatigue, weakness, low back pain, and long or irregular periods, thin period blood, cold limbs, aversion to cold, darkened complexion, acne on the face/chest and back, unwanted hair, depression.
Kidneys are related to the marrow (also called the essence in TCM), which is directly related to blood production. It’s also associated with yang deficiency.
This is mostly caused by excessive physical activity, chronic illness, hereditary condition, overexposure to cold and damp climates and food.
Connection to PCOS
PCOS is commonly associated with Qi deficiency of the spleen and kidney and accumulation of fluid and stagnation of blood.
This condition is due to multiple layers of disharmony.
Source: Welleum
In most cases fortifying the kidney and spleen is the key to restoring balance while promoting good blood flow.
Takeaway
TCM fundamentally views hormonal imbalance as a side effect of yin yang disturbances which are connected to different organ systems. A return to a more ideal state of balance of these energies and blood flow may lead to nourishment and healing.
This area of study is ancient and covers way more than just menstruation. Studies have yet to prove the effectiveness of TCM on menstruation although symptom relief (ie. period pain) is more widely studied.
It may take time for science to catch up. Many people seeking a root cause fix use Chinese herbs and centuries old acupuncture techniques to bring balance to their system.
Source: BrainMD
Instead of viewing western science in competition with TCM, these two practices may be complementary and fill in the gaps needed to provide holistic healing to the person going through hormonal imbalance.
The science behind only relying on medication such as birth control for hormonal balancing is complex. On the one hand it can make your periods regular while potentially harming your liver function among other long term symptoms. Studies say this is rare and issues reverse after stopping the medication. According to TCM the liver plays a key role in menstruation.
Whatever your choice, navigate these topics with a doctor or functional practitioner. Don’t start any medication or herbs on your own and make sure you fully investigate the full side effects spectrum. Even with herbs there might be toxicity and contamination present.
TCM offers a window into a full system recovery through patient trial and error, lifestyle, and diet changes. It evaluates a link between mind and body that can be powerful during the healing process.
If you want a deeper dive into TCM and the different treatments, techniques, let me know in the comments.
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