5% Increase in the Number of New Consultations in Gynecology at Seishindo Group 　Supporting Women's Lifelong Health: TCM Measures for Dysmenorrhea and Menopause

Seishindo Pharmacy Co. (Head office: Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture; Representative Director: Yuichi Nishino; hereinafter "the Company"), which operates 20 kampo consultation pharmacies and acupuncture clinics in Tokyo and Chiba, has long been committed to helping women live healthy lives through Chinese medicine, and since its founding, the Company has been close to gynecological problems. The number of customers who came to the Seishindo Group for consultation for gynecological problems increased by 5% compared to last year (comparison between January to July, 2022 and January to July, 2023). In particular, dysmenorrhea and menopausal symptoms are on the rise, with an increasing number of people suffering from them in the work environment and at home, as men do not understand them. In the Women's Edition of the Framework Policy 2023, it was decided to incorporate a medical interview for dysmenorrhea and menopausal symptoms into employer health checkups as a way to support women's lifelong health. We hope that this will further increase understanding and interest in women's health, and we will continue to focus on health support for women based on our corporate philosophy.

Health Support for Women

■Background of the focus on women's health: Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's announcement of the Women's Edition of the Basic Policy on Women's Health 2023

According to a report by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, women's healthy life expectancy is longer than men's. On the other hand, it is also true that health problems specific to women exist. The fact that women are still primarily responsible for housework and childcare cannot be dispelled, and even though more and more women are pursuing careers in society, their own health is often an afterthought. For this reason, the Japanese government has decided to add a gynecological interview to the employer's medical checkup as part of its health support for balancing life events and career development. In addition, along with other measures, the government has also decided to foster female entrepreneurs through start-up support and to eliminate the "L-shaped curve," which causes women to switch to non-regular employment after childbirth.

Outline of the Women's Version of the Framework Policy 2023:

https://www.gender.go.jp/kaigi/danjo_kaigi/siryo/pdf/ka70-s-1.pdf

Gynecological disorders such as dysmenorrhea and menopausal symptoms, which tend to be a burden and cause anxiety when working, are generally not well understood as illnesses, and there is no end to the number of cases where women are unable to discuss them with their bosses or partners, and end up mentally and physically deteriorating on their own. In many cases, the patients themselves are not sure whether they should receive treatment or not, or when they should visit a hospital. It is hoped that the employer's medical checkup will lead to early detection and early treatment, and that society's understanding of the disease will increase.

Dysmenorrhea

Support for dysmenorrhea and menopausal symptoms at Seishindo Pharmacy

＜Dysmenorrhea from the perspective of TCM

Dysmenorrhea is a disorder that occurs in women. In general, dysmenorrhea is pain in the lower abdomen and lower back caused by contractions of the uterus from just before to during menstruation. The degree of menstrual pain varies from person to person, with some experiencing little to no pain, others feeling it strongly, and others experiencing headaches and nausea in addition to menstrual pain. Among these, the condition that causes pain so severe that one must take time off from work or housework is called dysmenorrhea.

Western scientific causes of dysmenorrhea can be divided into two categories: organic cases involving gynecological disorders and functional cases such as excessive uterine contractions, with functional cases with no clear cause accounting for 90% of all cases. Therefore, treatment for functional cases is limited to painkillers and pills to suppress pain. In TCM, on the other hand, dysmenorrhea has a wide range of causes. It is believed to be caused by cold, stress, poor diet, fatigue, nutritional deficiencies, aging, etc. By addressing these causes, the body's tendency to experience pain can be improved.

Menstrual Pain in Chinese Medicine

<Menopausal symptoms as considered by TCM

The average age of menopause in Japan is 50.5 years old, and menopause refers to the 10-year period during the 5 years before and after menopause, so the age range from 45 to 55 is a rough guide for symptoms to occur. However, the duration of menopause and the degree of symptoms vary from person to person and are not clear. Therefore, in many cases, menopausal symptoms are not recognized as menopausal symptoms.

Western medical causes of menopause include aging, stress, irregular lifestyle, strenuous exercise, obesity, excessive dieting, and smoking, which often disrupt the hormonal balance. In treatment, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is often used to directly replace depleted hormones, and tranquilizers, sleep inducing drugs, and sedatives are also used according to symptoms. On the other hand, TCM believes that age-related changes in the body cause imbalances in the autonomic nervous system and blood circulation. Although age-related decline is common, the constitution can be improved by adjusting the body to avoid rapid decline and imbalance.

Menopausal Symptoms

<Gynecological support at Seishindo Pharmacy

We approach gynecological symptoms such as dysmenorrhea and menopausal symptoms from the perspective of TCM, checking not only subjective symptoms but also objective information such as the tongue, pulse, and blood flow, and we propose constitutional improvement through Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture for women who are active in society.

In addition, our website provides detailed information on gynecological disorders such as dysmenorrhea and menopause as well as irregular menstruation, uterine myoma, endometriosis, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It also provides specific advice on causes from the perspective of Chinese medicine, countermeasures against them, and how to improve one's lifestyle.

Official website: https://www.seishin-do.co.jp/symptoms/

Yuichi Nishino, the president of Seishindo, will also continue to post advice on women's problems on the video website.

Seishindo] Dr. Yuichi Nishino's Kampo and acupuncture channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQCHh1UqhlWZgd2mQluN-EA

Gynecological consultation at Seishindo Group

The number of people who visited our company for gynecological problems increased by approximately 5% from 336 in January-July 2022 to 352 in January-July 2023.

As a recent example of actual consultation, a customer who visited the Shin-Urayasu branch of Seishindo Pharmacy told us that her health condition is stable for only 5 to 8 days in a month because she starts to feel anxious, headache and dizzy before menstruation, and then suffers from severe menstrual pain when her menstruation starts. She told us that her health condition was stable for only 5 to 8 days in a month. She has been taking Chinese herbal medicine for two months now, and her ovulation pain and other symptoms have improved.

The guideline for taking Chinese herbal medicine depends on the constitution and cause. Even if symptoms improve quickly within a month, they may return if the patient stops taking the herbal medicine at that point. One of the guidelines for improving one's constitution with Chinese herbal medicine is said to be six months to one year. Instead of using the same herbal medicine all the time, the herbal medicine will change according to the improvement of symptoms and the constitution. Please consult with your family specialist or other healthcare professionals regarding the continuation of use, as it depends on the individual.

■Future Developments

The causes and constitutions of gynecological disorders, including dysmenorrhea and menopausal symptoms, vary widely, and so do the ways and types of symptoms. It is difficult to discuss the painful symptoms that come around every month and the problems associated with menstruation, but we will continue to provide information so that women can lead healthy lives. In addition, we will continue to train our employees to respond to the concerns of our customers by holding academic workshops and training sessions on gynecological diseases for our employees on a regular basis.

Company Profile

Company name: Seishindo Pharmacy Co.

Head office location: 3-18-23 Minami-Gyotoku, Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture

Representative: Yuichi Nishino, Representative Director

Establishment ： March 1987

URL ： https://www.seishin-do.co.jp/

Description of Business: Operation of pharmacies, sales of pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs,

　　　　　　 Management of acupuncture and moxibustion clinics and osteopathic clinics, import and sale of cosmetics,

　　　　　　 Import and sale of cosmetics, and all other businesses incidental to the above