In a review of 27 studies that involved nearly 3,000 women, researchers from the Oriental Hospital at Kyung Hee University Medical Center in South Korea found that acupuncture may be more effective than drugs or herbal medicines.
"There is convincing evidence on the effectiveness of using acupuncture to treat pain as it stimulates the production of endorphins and serotonin in the central nervous system," they wrote in a statement.
Endorphins are compounds produced naturally by the human body during exercise and excitement and they result in a feeling of well-being. Serotonin is a brain chemical.
"Compared with pharmacological treatment or herbal medicine, acupuncture was associated with a significant reduction in pain," they added in their paper, which was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
The US National Institutes of Health has cited acupuncture as a possibly effective way of dealing with menstrual cramps.
The causes for many cases of menstrual cramps are unknown and for some women, the pain - accompanied by bloating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness and headache - can become more severe or may last longer as they grow older.
The problem may become so bad for about 10 percent of younger women that they cannot go to work, resulting in billions of dollars in lost wages and productivity on the job annually.
Common treatments include exercise, painkillers and applying heat to the lower abdomen. Acupuncture has also become the subject of discussion and investigation.
However, the researchers noted flaws in the methodology of some studies and called for more clinical trials to be done.
Acupuncture has been used as a form of anaesthesia in China for at least 2,600 years and experts believe it can clear blockages in circulation.
In a growing number of places, doctors trained in western medicine are turning to acupuncture for their patients as a complementary treatment to help relieve pain.
(Reporting by Tan Ee Lyn) \\\
Tractor-powered tanks: China's military movie might CHENGDU, China, Feb 17 (Reuters Life!) - Every war needs artillery, and the military machines in peacetime China are increasingly coming from a small, rural company - China's movie industry, that is.
Chengdu Yingming Model Development Company Ltd. designs and produces replicas of planes, helicopters, tanks, and other military vehicles from all eras of China's history for movies, as well as for display in theme parks and exhibitions.
Founder Wu Zhiyong says his company is the only one in China to produce and sell life-size replicas of military vehicles for the film industry. The vehicles are made from scrap metal and often powered by tractor engines.
"It is very difficult for us common people to see weaponry in parks or other places. And to see foreign military equipment is even more difficult," Wu told Reuters Television in his workshop in the farmlands of Sichuan province.
"We want to show the general public our aeroplanes, tank models and other military equipment. We can use it as a way to teach them about national defense, but it also serves as a form of entertainment." The company realizes a life-long dream for Wu, who grew up in a small village, never received a secondary education and as a child loved to create small-scale model planes, inspired by his father's job at a Chengdu-based aeroplane company.
In 1996, Wu opened his company, which started making small-scale models and later went on to produce full-scale replicas.
The models have been used in more than five Chinese patriotic war movies, including the blockbuster "Nanjing! Nanjing!,” which depicts wartime atrocities by Japanese forces occupying the Chinese city.
The company, which started out in a farm courtyard, now employs dozens of workers and Wu recently invested 20 million yuan ($2.9 million) to build a new and improved workshop, which uses computer graphics to create accurate, detailed replicas.
China's Communist leadership regularly promotes patriotic films that depict the country's wartime history, guaranteeing a market for Wu's models. But the entreprenuer has his sights set beyond China's borders.
"Our goal is to introduce these special stage props to the international market. And so now we're trying to increase our scale. I hope that one day we can bring our products to Hollywood," Wu said.
