女性朋友们经常受到痛经的困扰。国外一项最新研究表明，针灸能够明显缓解痛经及与之相伴的头痛等症状，还能改善经前期综合征。

Researchers in Australia and New Zealand have found that acupuncture can significantly reduce the severity and duration of period pain.
澳大利亚和新西兰的研究人员发现，针灸可以极大地减少痛经的严重程度和持续时间。

The study conducted by Australian and New Zealand researchers also found it relieved associated headaches and nausea.
这项由澳大利亚和新西兰研究人员主持的研究还发现，针灸也能缓解与痛经相关的头痛和恶心问题。

'Our pilot study found that using manual stimulation of the needles, rather than an electrical pulse, commonly used in many Chinese studies for period pain, resulted in reduced need for pain-relieving medication and improvement in secondary symptoms such as headaches and nausea,' said Dr Mike Armour.
迈克•阿穆尔博士说：“我们的初步研究发现，在中国许多的研究中，经常使用人工针灸，而不是电流理疗来治疗痛经。这会减少对止痛药的需求，同时也会改善头痛和恶心等伴随症状，”

'The latter was unexpected and will be explored further in future, larger trials.'
“改善伴随症状是我们之前没有预料到的，在未来我们将会通过更大型的实验进一步探索。”

Dr Armour is a postdoctoral research fellow at Western Sydney University's National Institute of Complementary Medicine.
阿穆尔博士是西悉尼大学国家辅助医学研究所的博士后研究员。

It was a small pilot study of 74 women aged between 18 and 45 which found that more than half had at least a 50 percent reduction in the severity of their period pain after undergoing acupuncture treatment.
这只是一个涉及了74位年龄在18到45岁之间的女性的小型初步研究，结果发现超过一半的人接受针灸治疗后，痛经的程度至少减少了一半。

The women underwent the treatment for three months, with the effects lasting for up to a year.
她们接受了为期3个月的针灸治疗，但效果却持续了1年。

Many of the women also reported less of a need to use painkillers to treat their period pain and an improvement in secondary symptoms.
许多女性还表示，她们没那么需要止痛药来治疗痛经了，并且其他伴随症状也得到改善。

This included headaches and nausea, according to the study published in the international journal PLOS One.
根据国际杂志《公共科学图书馆•综合》发布的研究结果，伴随症状包括了头痛和恶心等。

Known in medical circles as primary dysmenorrhea, period pain is most common in women aged under 25.
痛经在医学界又被称为原发性痛经，常见于25岁以下的女性。

It is also the most common gynaecological problem among women generally, with four in five encountering it during their reproductive years.
它还是女性群体中最普遍的妇科问题。处于生育年龄段的女性当中，每5人就有4人会面临这个问题。

The researchers from Western Sydney University and the University of Auckland also found that manual acupuncture, where thin needles are inserted at certain points on the body, provided more relief than electro-acupuncture, which involves a small electrical current passing through the needles.
西悉尼大学和奥克兰大学的研究学者还发现，人工针灸，即将细针插入身体的特定部位的方法，比电针刺更具舒缓作用，而电针刺是指在针里传输微量的电流的方法。

During the study, the women kept a diary and underwent one of four types of manual or electro acupuncture treatments.
在这项研究中，女性们会写日记记录，并接受4种类型的人工针灸或电针灸疗法中的1种治疗。

Twelve treatments were carried out either once or three times a week over three menstrual cycles.
在3个月经周期内，她们会以每周1次或3次的频率接受12次治疗。

The women reported significant reductions in 'peak pain' during the first three days of their period and in "average pain" experienced over their entire period, with the effects sustained for 12 months.
这些女性们称，最初3天内的“痛感峰值”和整个期间的“平均痛感”都得到了明显的缓解，且针灸的效果持续了12个月。

Many also experienced improvements in PMS-related symptoms such as mood swings.
很多人还感觉到经前期综合征相关的症状也得到了改善，比如心情的起伏。

'Treatment timing appears to play a small role, with high frequency of treatment providing greater improvements in health-related quality of life,' the researchers wrote.
研究人员写道：“治疗时机似乎没起什么作用，但高频率的治疗会极大地改善与身体健康息息相关的生活质量。”