Some women’s menstrual periods are dark in color, and while the same medical treatment is used, Chinese medicine and Western medicine have very different views on this. How should women understand and adopt these two very different theories? Which one should I seek help for when I have a dark period?
General description of menstruation: Menstruation is medically known as the menstrual cycle and is commonly referred to as a period. It is actually the peeling off of the endometrial lining of the cycle that occurs in response to the estrogen secreted by the ovaries. Normal menstruation includes the normal menstrual cycle, normal menstrual period, normal menstrual flow and normal physiological response. Abnormalities in any of these aspects are considered menstrual abnormalities. Menstrual color: It refers to the color of menstrual blood. Normal menstrual blood is dark red with small fragments of shed endometrium, cervical mucus, vaginal epithelial cells mixed in with the blood and no blood clots. If the menstrual blood is thin like water, only a little pink or dark and purple, it is abnormal. If the menstrual blood is completely clotted, it is also not normal and there may be other areas of bleeding. You should seek medical attention early to ensure your health.
Dark menstruation in the eyes of Chinese medicine
In the context of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), if a woman experiences a low menstrual flow with a dark color, TCM believes that this is due to Qi stagnation and blood stagnation, which causes the menstrual blood to accumulate in the uterus for a long time.
Depending on the case TCM believes that there are three causes of dark menstrual blood.
1. Qi stagnation and blood stasis: Chinese medicine says that dark menstrual blood is usually a manifestation of Qi stagnation and blood stasis, causing excessive or too little menstrual blood, with obvious color abnormalities, black blood clots and abdominal pain.
The main regimen: to activate blood circulation and eliminate stasis, regulate qi and relieve pain.
2.Lack of qi and blood: characterized by irregular menstrual cycle, sometimes early and sometimes delayed, more or less menstrual blood, and prolonged periods, lighter and thinner menstrual blood. It may be accompanied by abdominal pain, dizziness and dizziness, as well as pale face and light red tongue.
The main method of regulation: mainly to replenish the qi and blood.
3. Kidney deficiency: manifested as irregular menstrual cycle, low menstrual blood volume, light or dull red color and thin, sometimes accompanied by waist and knee weakness and heel pain. There is also dizziness and tinnitus, coldness in the abdomen and nocturnal conditions.
The main regimen: tonifying the kidneys to regulate menstruation.
Dark color of menstruation in the eyes of Western medicine
In the eyes of Western medicine, the color of menstrual blood, which is usually considered very important by Chinese medicine, is not a factor in determining whether menstruation is normal or not. Western medicine believes that if the bleeding is heavy and the blood stays in the vagina for a short time, the color is red; if the bleeding is low and the blood stays in the vagina for a long time, it will naturally turn black (because the blood contains a lot of iron, which will turn black under the acidic environment of the vagina).
Generally speaking, Western medicine believes that women have black menstrual periods accompanied by low volume for three reasons.
1. Low menstrual flow can occur in women who are on excessive dieting.
2. Women who have an inordinate amount of work and rest are prone to low menstrual flow because women are stimulated by cold during their periods, which can cause excessive pumping of the blood vessels in the pelvic cavity and can produce low menstrual flow or even amenorrhea.
3. Sulking or experiencing heavy stimulation and psychological trauma can easily lead to low menstrual flow in young girls.
Women’s menstrual health care full strategy
Menstruation is an important indicator of a woman’s health. Dark menstruation may be associated with physical weakness, lack of qi and blood, or certain gynecological diseases. This requires women to go to the hospital in time to find the cause, and if it is a disease problem, to actively cooperate with the treatment.
At the same time, we should also pay attention to the conditioning during menstruation, so how to make specific conditioning?
1, diet: in the diet should pay attention to try not to eat stimulating food, cold food, cold food, pay more attention to increase nutrition. Women who are deficient in both blood and qi should strengthen nutrition, pay attention to the intake of a variety of nutrients, such as brown sugar is one of the most common health products during menstruation.
2, rest: it is recommended to develop a good habit of getting up early and going to bed early, do not stay up late, if possible, during the period can be appropriate “lazy”, pay more attention to rest, less strenuous, and do not do intense exercise, menstruation should be more soft movements, the amplitude of small sports. Try not to wash your hair with cold water, bathing.
3, psychological: pay attention to more adjustment to their own state of mind, before and after the period of women are more prone to temper, so if you think you are quite obvious in this regard, then it is recommended to control themselves more. When you are on your period, it is recommended to do more things that interest you.
4, hygiene: menstruation must not have sex, can not have intercourse, at the same time must pay attention to the genital hygiene, pay attention to more clean private parts, diligent change sanitary napkins.
Under normal circumstances menstruation as long as you pay attention to the above adjustment methods, generally will not have any major problems.
If after all the adjustments, the period still appears all kinds of abnormalities, it is recommended to go to the gynecological hospital to check what is the cause, or can also choose the Chinese medicine dialectical conditioning methods for conditioning, in short, the period abnormalities to early conditioning.