Question
I was having a regular adjustment from my chiropractor when he brought up
the subject of helping patients with menstrual cramps (without me asking any
questions.) It happened to be the first day of my period and although I didn't
have any cramps at the moment because I had taken some IBP, I told him to
try it on me. He said it was a little weird, he had to get my ovary (I only have a
left ovary) in sync with some pulse that is under my right butt cheek. He is a
great chiropractor and he has helped me with my back and hip pain and I
trust him, but it was a little weird. He put his left hand down the front of my
jeans and pressed on my ovary and his right hand underneath my right butt
cheek (on top of my jeans), located the "pulse" (How???) said, "I was right,
they're out of sync" then sat there for a minute or so until the pulses were in
sync. No, I didn't have anymore cramps the rest of my period but sometimes
I don't anyway so hard to say.  I have tried to google this or see if someone
else had asked a similar question, I just want to know if this is a normal
chiropractic "cure" so I can feel more comfortable with the uncomfortable
feeling it left me with. Thank you!

Answer
Hi Andrea,

The long and short of it is this: it's junk.  He's doing something in line with a technique called, "Bio Energetic Synchronization Technique" or BEST.  Humans are not grand-master wizards that can detect bio-energetic (whatever that is) pulse synchronization (a feeling the doctors fools himself into feeling).  I've played with these things in the past, many of which are idiotic.   However, if the doctor wishes to experiment with an esoteric method, even if he doesn't know how or why it works, and he fully informs you of the method, and it can't hurt you, and it might even cause a placebo response to your benefit, then why not?  [The only exception is if the doctor acts all-knowing and wants you to pay for such treatments $$ for an unreasonable period of time $$...if you know what I mean] Esoteric methods like these have never been tested.   Yes, there are times when providers of manual therapy do things that cause odd or remarkable reactions in patients that we cannot explain.   The problem is when some providers make a whole system of treatment around such esoteric (weird) methods and abandon all other logical diagnosis or rational thought.   Looking at this method from an observational standpoint, the doctor puts pressure on your abdomen over the ovary.  It could be that there is a release of adhesions around the ovary from this, or there is a reduction of a myofascial trigger point (google this).   A synchronization of pulses?  Nope. I don't buy that one bit.  Your pulse is your pulse, and his pulse is his pulse. Nobody's synchronizing anything.   I would ask the chiropractor to consider abandoning the absurd reasoning behind such a method, and just explore other possibilities as to why menstrual pain could be alleviated with manual methods.   

'Hope you found this helpful.  

Dr. G