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Menopause is that time period when women’s ovaries stop producing eggs, their bodies manufacture less estrogen and progesterone, and menstruation eventually stops. It is an expected transition although women don’t know whether it will be easy or difficult, whether it will last a few months or several years, and what sort of emotional disruptions might occur. In Chinese Medicine, we understand that menopause alters the balance of Yin and Yang. During and after menopause, many women discover, and may be disturbed by, the more yang (energetic, aggressive) side of themselves that emerges. Chinese Medicine has a benign view of this shift in energy - menopause changes a woman from mother to a more enlightened and wiser being.
During menopause many women experience problems and symptoms that vary from mild to severe. The discomfort comes from your body trying to adapt to the decreasing amounts of estrogen. Symptoms can include hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, fatigue, irritability, memory loss, vaginal dryness, headaches, joint pain, and weight gain.
Menopause is an area in which Chinese Medicine shines. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines have the ability to detect energetic changes that occur in the body and quickly relieve many symptoms. Along with the acupuncture and herbs, practitioners also suggest diet and lifestyle changes because shifts in habits can make a big difference.
Chinese medical practitioners treat each woman as an individual, so we do not recognize menopause as one particular syndrome. Instead, we aim to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual to restore imbalances found in each body.
A recent Turkish study shows theAcupuncture in Medicine, found that acupuncture reduced the psychological and physical effects of menopause. They found that hot flashes and mood swings were less severe and the estrogen levels were significantly higher for the women in the acupuncture group compared to the control group.
Although it was a small study, these researchers suggest that acupuncture may offer an alternative for women who can't or don't want to use hormone replacement therapy to ease menopause symptoms. (1)
In an earlier study, researchers conducted a randomized, controlled trial with 50 women using acupuncture techniques and other lifestyle changes. The results were impressive. Hot flashes decreased in the acupuncture group and the subjects also reported better sleep and reduction in other somatic symptoms. The researchers concluded that acupuncture plus self-care can significantly reduce hot flashes and increase quality of life in postmenopausal women. (2)
As you can see, acupuncture during menopause may prove to be very useful for unpleasant symptoms that plague women. It also offers a non-invasive, non-prescriptive treatment for individuals who are interested in approaching this life transition in a balanced manner.
(1) Acupunct Med 2011;29:27-31 doi:10.1136/aim.2010.003285(2) Borud, E. K. et al. Menopause: May/June 2009; V. 16 - Issue 3, pp 484-493.
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