Overview
Painful period is periodicity lower abdominal pain, or radiate to the lumbar and sacroiliac joint, or even syncope because of agonia when menstruation or circa menstruation (celialgia in menstruation), which can be most seen in young women. The invasion of pathogenic cold to the ren and chong meridian if suffering cold in menstruation; or depressed rage impairing the liver, which cause to stagnation of qi due to depression of the liver, then the menstrual bleeding stagnate in the uterus; or the body is weakness: or suffering acute disease or invalidism, deficiency of the qi and blood, or natural endowment is weak, insufficiency of the liver and kidney, with the result that chong and ren meridians lack of qi and blood, and uterus meridians loss of nutrition. Therapy with promoting qi to activate blood, disperse cold and remove blood stasis, inducing menstruation to stop pain, invigorate vital energy and blood, and warm nou fishing ren and chong meridians.

Treatment
1. Sanyinjiao (SP6)
Let the patient be sitting or dorsal position, with routine sterilization, choose the Sanyinjiao point both side, and needle perpendicularly at the depth of about 1-1.5 con with 1.5-2 cun 28 gauge filiform needle. On the basis of asthenia and sthenia of the pathogenetic condition, the practitioner should choose reinforcing or reducing method or even method after obtaining the qi. With medium intensity stimulation, needle should be retained for one hour during which it is manipulated 3 times. 30 times make up one course of treatment. The treatment begins one week before menstrual period, and therapy discontinued during the period, which should be continuous for 3 menstrual cycles. Treatment can be applied on dysmenorrheal episodes.

2. Zhongji (RN3)
Let the patient lay on the back, with routine sterilization, needle perpendicularly at the depth of about 1 curt with 2 con 28 gauge filiform needle (should empty the bladder first). After obtaining the qi, continuously rotate the needle in order to let the needling sensation radiate to lower abdomen, and retain the needle for 1 hour with manipulating the needle 3 times. Do moxibustion on the acupoint to flush in the lower abdomen after acupuncture, or apply warming needle or indirect moxibustion with ginger (5-7 cones every time, and once every day) at the point for cold-damp pattern. The treatment begins one week before menstrual period, and therapy discontinued on menstruation period for 3 menstrual cycles. Acupuncture or acupuncture with warming needle also can be applied on dysmenorrheal episodes.

3. Guanyuan (RN4)
(1) Treatment with acupuncture. Let the patient lay on the back, with routine sterilization, needle perpendicularly at the depth of about 1 con with 2 cun 28 gauge filiform needle (should empty the bladder). After obtaining the qi, continuously rotate the needles in order to let the needling sensation radiate to lower abdomen, and retain the needle for 1 hour with manipulating the needles 3 times. Treatment is done once every day.

(2) Treatment with moxibustion. Let the patient lay on the back, moxibustion with moxa stick for 15-20 minutes, which will result in the skin to blush. Treatment is done 2-3 times every day. The treatment begins one week before menstrual period, and therapy discontinued on menstruation period, which should be continuous for 3 menstrual cycles. Or use moxibustion treatment with moxa cones. Let the patient lay on the back, smear a little Vaseline on the skin, so that the moxa cones can stick to the point. Then put the moxa cone on the point, kindle it, and use the nipper to move it to change a new one when the moxa cone only has 2/5 or 1/4 left and the patient feels a little burning pain. This method is done with 3-7 cones, which lead the skin appear to blush without blebbing.

4. Diji (SP8)
Let the patient sitting or be dorsal position, with routine sterilization, and needle diji point both side perpendicularly at the depth of about 1-1.5 cun with 1.5-2 cun 28 gauge filiform needle. After obtaining the qi, manipulate them with reducing method and medium intensity stimulation; retain them in the points for one hour during which the needles are manipulated 3 times. The treatment begins one week before menstrual period, and therapy discontinued on menstruation period, which should be continuous for 3 menstrual cycles.

5. Ciliao (BL32)
Let the patient lay on the back, with routine sterilization, choose the ciliao point both side, then needle slope to dorsal spine, and along the dorsal sacral foramina at the depth of about 1-1.5 cun with 1.5-2 cun 28 gauge filiform needle. Manipulate needles again and again, in order to producing the sense of warmth to hypogastrium. Retain the needles 30 minutes, with manipulating the needles 2 times. The treatment begins one week before menstrual period, and therapy discontinued when menstruation, which should be continuous course treated for 3 menstrual cycles.

Note
1. Acupuncture therapy has a good effect on alleviating pain in treating dysmenorrheal. But the patient should maintenance the iatreusis unless dysmenorrhoea dose not appear 3 menstrual cycles.

2. Take notice of nutrition menstrual hygiene, and keeping body warm during menstruation. The patient should not eat raw, cold food or wade in the wet, and should to avoid exertion. The patient of stasis of cold and wetness can drink rhizome and brown sugar soup, while applied heat and shower with tepid water can relieve pain temporarily.