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Question: Endometriosis and acupuncture...?

(Posted by: Jam on 2010-03-10 16:02:13)

I have had endometriosis since I was 10 years old, believe it or not. I am on birth control pills, and they work, but I dispise the idea of taking hormones. I am considering acupuncture, but I don't know if it would work. Has anyone had it done? Does it work? Does it hurt? Okay...I probably didn't have it at age 10, but the symptoms of my regular mestrual cycle were bad enough to lead me to a doctor to finally be diagnosed with it by the time i was 12 or 13(one of those ages. I was out of school for almost a full week because I couldn't even stand up. I had a lot of back pain because of it too) Oh, and I did not have a lapriscopic surgery, the doctor refused. She said she didn't want to do it on a young patiend when she is 95 % sure and the pills are working...I've tried to stay off of them...It's been a month now, so far so good. We'll see how long I can go

Posted by: SkepDoc 3.0 on 2010-03-10, 16:30:04

Acupuncture does not work for endometriosis, or in fact, for anything. This question comes up periodically, and I have done the literature search a few times already. No evidence of any effect. Given it's implausible mechanism (unblocking the unproven chi) one would not expect there to be a positive effect in a well conducted trial. It doesn't hurt much, as the needles are quite thin. But since it doesn't work, why would you want someone to stick needles into you even if they don't hurt? If you have endometriosis since age 10, your case should be written up in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. I wonder if you really have it, or if you are just having dysmennorhea? Was your diagnosis made by a laparoscopic surgery...if not...then the diagnosis is dubious. For the record, since thenoseknows claims that homeopathy can cure endometriosis...the answer there is also , no it doesn't. Homeopathy is even less plausible than acupuncture. Thenoseknows will not provide any evidence to support his claim, because it simply does not exist.

Posted by: E♥rth on 2010-03-10, 16:06:21

My dad does chiropractic and acupuncture, it's doesn't hurt but it's not that comfortable.

Posted by: thenoseknows on 2010-03-10, 16:09:35

Acupuncture does not hurt. The needles are unbelievably thin. The *most* you might feel is less than a mosquito bite, if you feel anything at all. It can alleviate symptoms, but I have not heard of it curing endometriosis. Homeopathy can cure endometriosis by curing the cause. You can find a homeopathic doctor near you through your local association. Taking birth control pills until you hit menopause is not really the best idea. They do have negative side effects and can cause other health problems.

Posted by: fretochose on 2010-03-10, 17:38:11

Acupuncture is effective for many things. Johns Hopkins Research Hospital uses. Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida teaches acupuncture. There are other sources also.

Posted by: Rhianna Returns on 2010-03-10, 17:39:31

I just want to echo what Skep has already said, Endometriosis at age 10 would be a very rare occurrence indeed. Have you at any point had a laprascopy? There is no evidence that acupuncture could rectify this problem (or any problem!) which is fairly complex in itself. There is no proven mechanism for action. Endometroisis is basically where endometrial cells (which line the womb) are found outside of the uterine cavity Patches of endometrios often cause problems because they become sticky and attach to nearby organs- joining them together. This is called adhesion's and causes discomfort. Tissue can 'spill' backwards along the fallopian tubes when you have a period and large patches of endometriosis sometimes form into cysts which bleed each month when you have a period. If there are large patches present then the Doctor can actually remove some of it. Aside from removing patches, other treatment involves suppressing oestrogen levels in the body which will prevent the problem from occurring again. Oestrogen is needed to make the endometrial cells grow, this causes a problem if you have endometriosis as it causes the patches that are outside of the uterine cavity to swell and grow too which causes the pain. If oestrogen levels are reduced within the body, the cells shrink and die. Your first priority is to get a proper diagnosis. Either way, AltMed has nothing to offer. Caveat: Fretochose and thenoseknows both attempt to convince you that Homoeopathy and acupuncture works, yet neither provide any evidence that does..hmmmm

Posted by: Lightning on 2010-03-10, 21:39:19

Unfortunately endometriosis doesn't have particularly successful treatment protocols both conventionally and otherwise. Surgery is the most drastic option and can be the most successful but there is no guarantee that the Endometriosis won't return. Anything else may give you temporary relief if you are lucky but that is about all. Dysmennorhea (without endometriosis as an underlying factor) may have a more successful outcome with alternative options but both of these chronic conditions are difficult to manage. I do feel for women who suffer from either of these. Often their doctors aren't particularly helpful and in NZ it takes an average of 7 years and 10 visits to a GP before referral to a Gynae and a diagnosis of endometriosis. I suspect doctors aren't especially helpful because there isn't a great deal they can do rather than because they are unsympathetic. I'm sure they would be more help if they could be.

Posted by: Angelhil on 2010-03-11, 04:32:03

Jam, sorry to hear about your condition. My friend has it and I know it has not been pleasant. I have no knowledge of how she deals with it medically but I just wanted to make sure that you haven't considered Acupuncture because you think of it as just another medical procedure. Acupuncture is very much based on magical thinking. It relies on manipulating nonexistent meridian points with needles to unblock your chakras (that don't exist) to help the flow of your che (that doesn't exist either). Look, basically what I'm saying is... if you believe in all the other magic stuff like homeopathy reflexology etc then fine. at least you are informed enough to realise that you are taking an Alternative therapy. However if you are someone who thinks homeopathy, reflexology etc are rubbish then please be aware that acupuncture falls under the same catogory. Placebo.

Posted by: Cindy H on 2010-03-12, 20:48:15

You should really consider having a Laparoscopy to get a definitive diagnosis. It is also important to know where the endometriosis is and what impact it may have. For instance if it is all over your ovaries and fallopian tubes it may cause you to become infertile like it did for me. As far as Accupuncture and Homeopathy go, they cannot cure Endo as there is no cure, but maybe they can help manage the pain. Why not give it a try? Even the placebo affect is worth it if you feel less pain! Why not look for an Endo support group near you and that way you can discussed what worked for them and get references. Good Luck!