FIBROIDS 2
Fibroids: Contrast of Western Treatment and Traditional Chinese Medicine As an African American woman over the age of 40, I am numbered among the 80% of women in my ethnic group that have uterine fibroid tumors. Normally this malady is symptomatic in most African American women by the age of 50. African American women are more likely to have fibroids than their counterparts. In my ethnic group fibroids have an earlier onset and they grow larger than White women. Not only am I numbered in the women of my ethnic group for fibroids; I am also genetically predisposed for fibroids. Uterine fibroids…show more content… Some of the factors that come into consideration are progesterone and estrogen which can promote the growth of fibroids, genetics play a part in who develops fibroids and when. Some fibroids have been found to have genes that are different than the genes found in normal uterine cells. There is also some evidence to suggest that fibroids are hereditary and have a familial trait. With all of these things going on in a woman with fibroids, the number one answer in Western medicine is still a hysterectomy. More than 200,000 hysterectomies are performed each year to treat fibroids. Annual direct health care costs for uterine fibroids exceed $2.1 billion. A hysterectomy is intrusive procedure, it has also been shown to have effects that are more adverse than having fibroids. The adverse effects of having a hysterectomy can be seen long after menopause is over. The removal of the entire uterus, is now the most controversial procedure. Studies show that doctors often prescribe hysterectomies because they’re easier to perform-even if the fibroids can be removed without sacrificing the…show more content… One of the alternatives being sought is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The TCM view of medicine and the body greatly differs from the Western view. TCM recognizes sickness or disease as an imbalance in Qi, our life force or vital energy. Western medicine does not have the concept of Qi, yin and yang, the body’s meridians, or the five elements. Gynecology in TCM dates back to 1237 A.D. when The Complete Book of Effective Prescriptions for Diseases of Women, was published. In the third century BCE fibroid tumors are listed in the medical text “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic” For over 2000 years fibroids have been documented and treated by TCM practitioners. There are three distinct patterns of fibroids found in TCM. Blood Stasis and Qi Stagnation, Yin deficiency and Empty Fire Blazing, Liver Qi Stagnation and Spleen
