Acupuncture for menopause
The change in hormone levels during peri-menopause and menopause (particularly the decline in oestrogen) is associated with symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats, vaginal dryness, tiredness, sleep disturbances, mood swings, forgetfulness and loss of libido. The average duration of menopausal symptoms is about 4 years.
Menopause is a natural process, and we don’t see it as a condition, but as a transition from one hormonal environment to another. This change can have profound effects on body and mind — as it does in puberty. For some women the symptoms are very mild, for others they have a huge impact on the quality of life.
- —Hot flushes — a sudden feeling of heat that seems to come from nowhere and spreads throughout the body
- —Problems with memory and concentration, low mood or anxiety
- —Difficulty sleeping, night sweats and chills
Can acupuncture help to manage the symptoms?
Acupuncture for the management of menopausal symptoms has not been widely researched, but the British Acupuncture Council website reports that randomised controlled trials have found acupuncture to be as effective as hormonal drug treatment for managing symptoms of menopause.
Using Chinese medicine we look at the body and mind as a whole system — no single part can be understood except in relation to the whole. Each symptom is chased back to look at its root. We aim to treat both the root and the branch. Our treatments are therefore tailored to fit the particular needs of each new person we see.
Diagnosis and treatment of menopause
Few areas of women’s health stir up as much confusion and debate as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), which is normally started when the first symptoms of menopause appear. While it may alleviate hot flushes and prevent osteoporosis, it will also increase the risk of breast, ovarian and uterine cancer, and has a number of significant side-effects. But HRT isn’t the only solution. Menopause is an area in which Oriental Medicine shines. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine have the ability to detect energetic changes that occur in the body and quickly relieve symptoms such as hot flushes, foggy mind and irritability.
Traditional Chinese Medicine does not recognise menopause as one particular syndrome. Instead, it aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual using a variety of techniques such as acupuncture, Chinese herbs, bodywork, lifestyle/dietary recommendations and energetic exercises to restore imbalances found in the body. Therefore, if 10 women are treated with Oriental medicine for hot flushes, each of these 10 women will receive a unique, customised treatment.