Women’s Health (Gynaecology)

Safe, natural, and non-invasive treatment by internationally renowned experts in gynaecology, female health and fertility.

By using syndrome acupuncture and powerful, high-quality, Chinese herbal medicine Dr. Lily and her team of CMIR-registered doctors, all with Western medical training, treat a wide range of conditions affecting women’s physical, emotional, mental and sexual health.

Our treatment includes:

• A full Chinese Medical diagnosis with personalised lifestyle and diet advice from Dr. Lily.
• A session of authentic syndrome acupuncture tailored to your needs.
• An individualised herbal prescription from Dr Lily. If you wish to take the prescription then the herbs are charged separately. We do not put any pressure on our valued clients to buy prescriptions but the Dr Lily will always be trying to maximise your health (that is her job) and this may involve herbs. For prices of our herbal prescriptions please look at our prices on the right of this page.

How we can help you

Dr. Lily and her team of Chinese Medical doctors at AcuMedic’ Female Health Clinic in London provide personalised treatment for a broad range of female health (gynaecology) issues, including:

• PMT (Premenstrual tension, or PMS)
• Menstruation problems such as Irregular periods and Painful periods (Dysmenorrhea)
• Heavy periods (Menorrhagia)
• lack of periods (Amenorrhea)
• Morning Sickness
• Bacterial Vaginosis
• Hot Flashes
• Menopause, Perimenopause and all their associated symptoms
• Vaginal Discharge and Thrush (Candida) and inflammatory diseases of the reproductive tract
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
• Endometriosis
• Uterine Fibroids
• Fibrocystic Breast Disease
• Anorgasmia

If your condition is not on this list, just ask for Free Health Advice and our doctors will let you know if, and how, they can help. You can also visit our centre and one of our doctors will speak to you. We offer free health advice as a walk-in service. Just come in and ask to speak to one of our doctors about female health.

For advice on Chinese Medicine for sexual energy please see our free guide to Supercharged Sex.

Please note that we also run a specialist Fertility Clinic at AcuMedic Centre in London where bespoke Chinese herbal medicine and syndrome acupuncture are provided to treat subfertility and infertility in men and women.

---

+ About the Acupuncture at AcuMedic

Acupuncture treatment is available all over the world but not all acupuncturists are the same. Many acupuncturists in the West are only trained in a small modality of acupuncture such as trigger point acupuncture or perhaps 5 Element acupuncture. AcuMedicin London treats with syndrome acupuncture which is based on the complete system of theories in Chinese Medicine (including trigger point and 5 Element). This is authentic acupuncture treatment as practised in China and is based on Syndrome Differentiation diagnosis.

+ How it works

Chinese Medicine has recognised and treated gynaecological problems as a specialist field for over 2,000 years. The Chinese Medicine theory understands female physiology directly in relation to the functional relationships between the internal organs, meridians (the channels through which the body’s essential energy – Qi – flows), and reproductive organs. According to Chinese Medicine theory treatment is therefore dependent on diagnosing the condition of your internal organs and checking the flow of blood and Qi through specific meridians.

According to Chinese Medicine theory Chinese herbs and acupuncture can be prescribed to treat a variety of women’s health conditions. For example, treatment for irregular menstruation will usually involve first ensuring that Heart, Liver, Kidney, Spleen and Lung functions are working normally and in balance. According to Chinese Medicine theory, any imbalance that causes these organs to function inefficiently can lead to irregular menstruation. Once these organs are strengthened and the flow of blood and Qi is unblocked, menstruation will return to normal.

According to Chinese Medicine, Premenstrual tension (PMT) is caused by the body’s inability to adapt to the stresses related to loss of blood. This can manifest itself in various symptoms such as emotional sensitivity, headaches, diarrhoea, restlessness, insomnia, pain and dizziness. The type and severity of the symptoms depend on how the individual woman’s body reacts to the blood deficiency.

Treatment involves diagnosing which bodily functions and organs are being adversely affected by the loss of blood and strengthening those areas to reduce and eventually prevent PMT. Therefore at the AcuMedic Clinic in London Chinese Medicine is tailored to each individual woman following a full Chinese Medical diagnosis.

Similarly, menopause can bring with it a variety of conditions such as hot flashes, palpitations, insomnia, irritability, tinnitus. These symptoms arise when certain meridians are emptied during menopause which causes major imbalances in the body. Many women find it hard to restore balance alone.

Chinese herbs and syndrome acupuncture prescribed according to Chinese Medical theory at the AcuMedic Clinic in London can re-tune your body and help you to become accustomed to the physiological changes brought about by menopause, and, alleviate its symptoms.

To find out more about how Chinese Medicine works at the AcuMedic Clinic in London, please read our brief Introduction to Chinese Medicine.

+ What to expect

Our doctors will carry out a full Chinese Medical diagnosis (including tongue- and pulse-diagnoses to check your internal health) and will talk to you to learn a bit about any issues (physical, mental, emotional) you might be having as well as your overall health and lifestyle.

An appointment at the Gynaecology Clinic usually lasts between 25-40 minutes. This includes consultation, diagnosis and acupuncture treatment. If you are prescribed raw Chinese herbs then this can take up to half an hour to prepare after your appointment.

+ Diagnosis & Consultation

There are four main diagnostic methods in Chinese Medicine used at the AcuMedic Clinic in London which are: observing, pulse diagnosis, questioning and listening. Each method has a unique function in the process of collecting different clinical information and understanding your emotional and physical health. Therefore all four diagnostic methods must be used to make an accurate diagnosis of your overall health and individualise the treatment according to your personal needs.

Observing involves looking at all the outward manifestations of your internal health. This is done by observing your general vitality, complexion, figure and your skin. One of the most well known parts of observing is tongue diagnosis. The tongue is like a mirror showing the state of your internal organs. Dr. Lily and her team will be able to judge the condition of your essential energy (Qi), identify if any of the internal organs are in need of a boost, determine the root causes of your health issues and identify how your condition might progress just from looking at your tongue.

There are over 50 different pulse types and the doctors will take your pulse on both wrists to determine which pulse type you have. Your pulse is identified in terms of depth, speed, strength, shape and rhythm. Your pulse is an indicator of how Qi and blood are moving around your body, therefore how well your internal organs are functioning. Remember that a good circulation of Qi and blood is crucial for a proper and regular menstruation, for example. From your pulse the doctor can determine a great deal about the nature of your condition and its root causes. This information is very important for determining the right Chinese Medical treatment for you.

The doctor will ask you a huge variety of questions to learn about your symptoms and general lifestyle. It may seem like some of these questions are odd, but it all goes towards building a complete picture of you and your overall health. No matter how trivial something might seem to you, tell Dr. Lily and her doctors. No symptom or issue that you have is unrelated or unimportant to your health and diagnosis. It is also very useful for Dr. Lily to see the results of any medical tests you have had so make sure you bring them along to your first consultation and whenever you get new results through.

Once the doctor has finished diagnosing you, they will tell you about your particular Chinese Medical syndrome. These syndromes often have funny sounding names, like Liver Qi Stagnation or Kidney Yin Deficiency, but do not let that put you off. They will accurately explain why you have the symptoms you have and therefore what treatment you need to optimise your health and improve your life.

The doctor will usually suggest an acupuncture treatment plan based on the diagnosis to return you to good health, thereby easing all of the different symptoms (physical or mental) at the same time.

If the doctor feels that you should take some Chinese herbal medicines in addition to acupuncture then a prescription will be written for you. This is charged separately to your treatment. The prescription may be in the form of raw Chinese herbs or herbal extract capsules which are assembled and dispensed by our expert dispensary on our premises at the AcuMedic Clinic in London.

+ Treatment

After an initial consultation you will be asked to lie on the bed and remove some clothing to receive acupuncture. The doctors will provide you with a blanket to cover yourself. Micro-fine needles will be inserted and you will be left alone to relax for about 20-40 minutes.

Please be aware that this is crucial treatment time for the acupuncture to have a therapeutic effect and you have not been forgotten. Just relax and enjoy the sensation of the acupuncture treatment (many patients will fall asleep). If you need to call the Clinic reception then there is a bell to alert us to come and talk with you.

Usually, the acupuncture needles do not hurt when they are inserted, although if a lot of blocked energy has built up at one area of your body, you may feel a pricking and pulling sensation as the Qi begins to flow again in there. Most people find acupuncture incredibly relaxing.

AcuMedic doctors only use sterile disposable acupuncture needles. AcuMedic actually invented the disposable acupuncture needle.

For people who are afraid of acupuncture needles, please speak to your doctor who may recommend a different treatment based on electro-acupuncture instead of needles. Electro-acupuncture works in the same way as conventional acupuncture, but instead of using needles, an electronic pointer is used to stimulate the acupuncture points on the body.

+ After the Treatment

After the treatment you should feel an improvement in your symptoms within a few sessions.

+ Other Questions?

For any other questions please review our FAQ and if you cannot find an answer then please email us.

To find out more about being a patient at AcuMedic please take a look at the AcuMedic Patient Handbook.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends acupuncture

Acupuncture has been proved – through controlled trials – to be an effective treatment for primary dysmenorrhoea and morning sickness. Acupuncture has also been shown to have a therapeutic effect on premenstrual syndrome and female infertility according to the World Health Organisation*.

---

+ *CLINICAL TRIALS

 

PRIMARY DYSMENORRHOEA

Helms JM. Acupuncture for the management of primary dysmenorrhea. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1987, 69:51-56.

Shi XL et al. [Acupuncture at SP 6 in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea.] Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 1994, 14(5):241-242 [in Chinese].

 

MORNING SICKNESS

Dundee JW et al. PC 6 acupressure reduces morning sickness. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1988, 81(8):456-457.

De Aloysio D, Penacchioni P. Morning sickness control in early pregnancy by eiguan point acupressure. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1992 80(5): 852-854.

Bayreuther J, Lewith GT, Pickering R. A double-blind cross-over study to evaluate the effectiveness of acupressure at pericardium 6 (P6) in the treatment of early morning sickness (EMS). Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 1994, 2:70-76.

Fan YJ. Observation of the therapeutic effect of moxibustion for treatment of pregnant vomiting. World Journal of Acupuncture-Moxibustion, 1995, 5(4):31-33.

 

PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME

Li J et al. [Treatment of 108 cases of premenstrual tension by head-acupuncture.] Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 1992, 12(3):245-246 [in Chinese].

 

FEMALE INFERTILITY

Yu J et al. [Relationship of hand temperature and blood b-endorphin immunoreactive substance with electroacupuncture induction of ovulation.] Acupuncture Research, 1986, 11(2):86-90 [in Chinese].

Chen BY. Acupuncture normalized dysfunction of hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis. Acupuncture and Electro-Therapeutics Research, 1997, 22:97-108.

Ji P et al. [Clinical study on acupuncture treatment of infertility due to inflammatory obstruction of fallopian tube.] Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, 1996, 16(9):469-470 [in Chinese].

---