Polycystic ovaries
Research
Alternative
& Complementary Therapies
Acupuncture
& Polycystic Ovaries
Of all the alternative therapies, acupuncture has
been shown in controlled scientific studies to be one of the most effective in helping to
treat hormonal disturbances. Acupuncture has, of course, traditionally been successfully
employed in China to treat most illnesses, but , in recent years, there have been several
interesting controlled scientific studies demonstrating the clinical value of acupuncture
for PCO sufferers.
For instance, one study at the Department for
Gynaecological Endocrinology and Reproduction, Women's Hospital, University of Heidelberg,
Germany concluded that auricular acupuncture (treatment through the ear) offered a
valuable alternative therapy for hormone disorders and was more effective than hormone
therapy with no side effects (1) .
In another study(2), it was demonstrated that
Electro-Acupuncture Therapy (EAT) successfully helped regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary
function and led to normal secretion of hormones in women with PCO. And further evidence
was provided in yet another study(3) in which 80 women with PCO were investigated and
given acupuncture treatment coupled with diet therapy. Over 33% of the women were
successfully treated and the report concluded that "acupuncture may be recommended as
the first stage of treatment in PCO patients.
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Traditional
Chinese Medicine
& Polycystic Ovaries
Traditional Chinese herbal medicines have also been shown to
be useful in the treatment of PCO. Researchers at the Department of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology, Shimane Medical University investigated the effects of a Chinese herb known
as Shakuyaku-Kanzo-To in twenty infertile Japanese women who had been diagnosed as having
Polycystic ovary syndrome(4). Shakuyaku-Kanzo-To was used as a means to lower plasma
testosterone levels and hence to induce pregnancy. The Polycystic ovary was classified
into two types; general cystic and peripheral cystic patterns. Plasma testosterone was
decreased in 90 per cent of the women (18/20) and 25 per cent (5/20) went on to become
pregnant. The plasma testosterone concentration in the case of the general cystic pattern
was significantly higher than that of peripheral cystic pattern, and consequently the
pregnancy rate in those with the general cystic pattern was found to be lower.
The researchers concluded that the efficacy of
Shakuyaku-Kanzo-To seems to vary according to the type of Polycystic ovary syndrome
treated, but is more effective in those women who had peripheral cystic patterns.
Whilst these studies do not suggest that acupuncture or TCM
hold all the answers in the treatment of PCO, they do indicate that these complementary
therapies do offer therapeutic options for women who suffer with this disorder.
(1) Auricular acupuncture in the treatment of female
infertility. Gerhard I; Postneek F . Gynaecol Endocrinol (ENGLAND) Sep 1992,6 (3) p171
(2) Changes in serum FSH, LH and ovarian follicular growth during electroacupuncture for
induction of ovulation] Yu J; Zheng HM; Ping SM Chung Hsi I Chieh Ho Tsa Chih Apr 1989, 9
(4) p199-202, 195
(3) Ibid
(4) Takahashi K; Yoshino K; Shirai T; Nishigaki A; Araki Y; Kitao M. Effect of a
traditional herbal medicine (shakuyaku-kanzo-to) on testosterone secretion in patients
with Polycystic ovary syndrome detected by ultrasound. Nippon Sanka Fujinka Gakkai Zasshi
Jun 1988, 40 (6) p789-92
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