You Need This Treatment: Acupuncture for Menopause

            Acupuncture works for the treatment of menopausal symptoms, and being that the number of women in menopause is estimated to climb to 1.1 billion worldwide by 2025, it is no surprise that women are seeking relief outside of standard medicine. Women’s health, the menopause category in particular, is finally getting the attention it deserves. For so long, especially in standard medicine, menopausal symptoms have been somewhat brushed aside as “a part of aging” without true aid in diminishing symptoms.

The issue is that these symptoms, while seemingly not a big deal, can affect daily life and decrease quality of life. Acupuncture can decrease the symptoms that women are plagued with due to hormonal changes in the body, and offer relief from the symptoms they cause. There are multiple factors that come into play when fully treating menopausal symptoms with Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) including diet, exercise, acupuncture, and more. Through acupuncture, unlike standard medicine treatment, we can treat those symptoms at the root, and restore balance to the body to handle this natural time of life with much more ease.

Menopause in Standard Medicine

            Menopause is a completely natural process marking the end of your menstrual cycles, however, the symptoms that come along with it are not favorable. If you have gone 12 months without a menstrual cycle then you are considered to be in menopause, and the time leading up to this is known as perimenopause.

Three Stages of Menopause:

• Perimenopause – also known as transition menopause, it can start as much as 8 to 10 years prior to menopause. Your ovaries will slowly produce less estrogen, and commonly start in your 40’s at some point. This phase will last up until menopause at which time the ovaries will stop releasing eggs. It is also at this phase that many women start to experience the symptoms related to menopause, but are still having a menstrual cycle and can get pregnant.
  
  
• Menopause – it is at this point that you do not have a menstrual cycle any longer. Your ovaries no longer are releasing eggs, and have halted most of your estrogen production. It is diagnosed after you have not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months.
  
  
• Postmenopause – essentially this is the remainder of your life after menopause, and you have not had a period for a year. At this point, menopausal symptoms may get less aggressive, but some people may be faced with these symptoms for a decade or more after transitioning to menopause. It is also during this time that you may be more susceptible to osteoporosis and heart disease due to the decreased estrogen levels.

Overall the average age you can expect to be fully transitioned to menopause is around 51 years old. Every person is different when it comes to symptoms, but there are many that are felt across the board for the most part. Some women may only experience some of these symptoms while others may experience all or just one of them. It is important for women to know what they may be facing regardless of what is actually experienced.

Menopause Symptoms:

• Hot flashes
  
  
• Vaginal Dryness
  
  
• Insomnia
  
  
• Night sweats or cold flashes
  
  
• Mood swings
  
  
• Intensified PMS (premenstrual syndrome)
  
  
• Irregular periods or lighter periods than usual (during perimenopause)
  
  
• Low sex drive
  
  
• Heart palpitations
  
  
• Weight gain
  
  
• Hair thinning
  
  
• Joint/muscle pain
  
  
• Brain fog or memory lapses (usually temporary)
  
  
• Dry mouth/dry eyes/dry skin
  
  
• Headaches

Of all of these symptoms, the most common symptom is without a doubt hot flashes. In general, in standard medicine the main remedies for menopausal symptoms lies in hormone therapy and non-hormonal treatments.

• Hormone therapy – this involves estrogen therapy which is taking estrogen alone, and estrogen progesterone hormone therapy which is a combination therapy providing doses of both estrogen and progesterone.
  
  
  • Risks of hormone therapy involve blood clots, stroke, deep vein thrombosis, gallbladder issues, pulmonary embolism, and endometrial cancer.
    
    
• Non-hormonal therapy – this is exactly as it sounds, and that is making changes in your diet and lifestyle that will mitigate menopause symptoms. This type of treatment is a good option because of the lack of risk as well as favorable for people who are dealing with other medical conditions. This option includes changing the diet, exercise, joining support groups, avoiding things that will trigger hot flashes, and prescription medications.

While these options may be the right option for some people, acupuncture treatment is a natural way to nip your menopausal symptoms in the bud.

Acupuncture for Menopause Symptoms

            Acupuncture works for menopause by encouraging balance within the body, and decreasing stress in the mind as well as the body. In TCM, Yin, Yang, and essence (inherited energy which influences growth & development) are how menstruation is understood. Yin and Yang are opposing forces of nature, but are also found within the human body. Yin is related to blood, and yang is related to Qi (the body’s vital energy). When it comes to menopause, a woman’s Yin and essence decrease causing menopausal symptoms to occur. Acupuncture and herbal medicine can restore balance between Yin and Yang, and decrease the intensity of your symptoms. Acupuncture regulates the female hormones, namely estrogen, as well as neurotransmitters like serotonin offering relief of menopausal symptoms on a physical and emotional plane.

Menopausal Symptoms & How Acupuncture Can Help:

• Hot Flashes – according to TCM, this happens when the body’s yin (cooling) energy dissipates which causes a surplus in yang (warming) energy. This excess of yang energy will cause heat sensation and flushed chest, neck, and face. Acupuncture treatment aids in cooling you down by innately encouraging the widening of blood vessels, releasing endorphins, and controlling the hypothalamus which regulates the body’s internal thermostat.
  
  
• Fatigue – acupuncture helps with fatigue by improving the health of the digestive system which prevents premature aging as well as boosting energy. It will also increase blood flow while decreasing blood pressure which can decrease fatigue inducing stress on the heart.
  
  
•  Mood Swings – the decrease in the production of estrogen from perimenopause has a large impact on your demeanor. Estrogen influences the creation of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine which increases feelings of being happy. That being said, decreased estrogen equals mood fluctuation. Acupuncture balances out the 2 nervous systems changing our neurochemistry that is involved with emotional regulation.
  
  
• Menstrual Cycle Shifts – acupuncture works for regulating the menstrual cycle by improving circulation to the ovaries and uterus. It can also be helpful for PCOS, regulating the HPO (hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian) axis, or painful periods.
  
  
• Memory Lapses or Brain Fog – acupuncture works for memory and mental focus by increasing circulation, oxygen flow to the brain, and the neurotransmitters responsible for memory. It can re-establish proper communication between the systems of the body and the brain increasing cognitive function.

While these are the main symptoms that are experienced by menopausal women across the board, acupuncture can also help with many other symptoms like skin dryness or acne, lower sex drive, hair loss, breast tenderness, insomnia, vaginal dryness, and more.

Try Acupuncture for Menopause

            While the symptoms experienced from menopause are natural and a part of life and aging, they don’t have to be miserable. Menopause, although it is becoming more understood and finally getting more of the attention it deserves from modern medicine, there are still greater than 60% of women who do not feel informed about menopause. Being that more than 1 million women in the United States go through menopause every year, and of those, 73% are not currently treating their menopause.

Acupuncture treatment is a natural, safe, and effective option for your menopause, and even if you feel uninformed about your menopause, acupuncturists are well-versed in making sure you understand what’s happening with your body. Your licensed acupuncturist will assess your symptoms through an in-depth consultation, and determine an appropriate treatment plan to fit your unique set of circumstances. Many times, acupuncturists will not only use acupuncture treatment and lifestyle and nutrition recommendations, but also sometimes utilize herbal medicine if they are equipped to do so. Combining healthy habits with acupuncture treatment can make the menopause journey much easier becoming less of a burden and more just a part of life.