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Can Chiropractic Help Relieve PMS?
Headache, backache, abdominal bloating, cramping, fatigue
and mood swings are just
some of the symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Most women suffer
some symptoms of PMS during their childbearing years, but between
10-20% experience
severe or disabling symptoms.
Drugs, vitamin supplements and psychotherapy have proven ineffective
or undesirable
treatment options, with many patients reporting unpleasant side
effects and only minimal
relief of symptoms. Previous research has suggested the potential
benefit of chiropractic
care (see "Chiropractic for PMS" in the August 1999
issue of To Your Health), and a
recent study provides further evidence of this association.
In a nine-month clinical trial involving 25 women with diagnosed
PMS, 16 patients received
active chiropractic treatment (spinal manipulation and soft-tissue
therapy) 2-3 times
in the week before menses for at least three menstrual cycles;
the remaining nine patients
received a placebo in the form of chiropractic "adjustments,"
using an instrument set
for minimum force, such that patients did not effectively receive
treatment.
The two groups eventually changed over, so that both groups
received treatment and
placebo during the study period. In both groups, results showed
that PMS symptom scores
decreased after chiropractic manipulation, with a significant
decrease in scores for
the active treatment phase compared to the nontreatment (placebo)
phase.
Schedule an appointment with your doctor of chiropractic and
find out more about the
benefits of chiropractic care and its potential role in relieving
your PMS symptoms.
For more information on women's health, visit http://www.chiroweb.com/tyh/women.html
Walsh MJ, Polus BI. A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical
trial on the efficacy
of chiropractic therapy on premenstrual syndrome. Journal of
Manipulative and Physiological
Therapeutics, Nov/Dec 1999: Vol. 22, No. 9, pp582-85.
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