For women in their mid-40s to mid-50s, “the change” looms like an unwelcome event. We hear the horror stories of hormone changes that will send us into emotional tirades, make intercourse unbearable, and turn even an Arctic windstorm into the feeling of a Sahara heat wave (or a typical Phoenix July day). But sometimes horror stories are the worst of the worst magnified, and the truth may not be nearly as bad as you fear it to be.
It’s All Natural
The truth is that, since the dawn of humans, women have experienced menopause. It’s part of our lifecycle. And as far as we know, no one has died from going through menopause. Given that this is a natural part of life, shouldn’t your approach to it be natural as well? That’s not to say that you have to sit back and deal with the discomfort, pain, and mood swings; help is available. Thankfully, the natural approach of Chinese herbal therapies and acupuncture can ease the symptoms you’ll experience, allowing your body time to adjust to the hormonal change.
HRT: Hormone Replacement Therapy
Menopause is the permanent end of menstruation and fertility. All of that negativity that surrounds “the change” is not about menopause itself but rather the symptoms the body goes through as it transitions from childbearing years to older age. During this transition, the ovaries stop producing estrogen and progesterone, so one common medical treatment for the associated symptoms is to use hormone replacement therapy, or HRT (which has recently been renamed menopausal hormone therapy, or MHT).
While HRT has been an accepted practice for years, there is more and more evidence that [tweet_dis]hormone replacement is not the best approach to dealing with the body’s changes during menopause.[/tweet_dis] The risks come as women continue on HRT for a long period of time. Most medical professionals and associations now suggest that only short-term use of HRT is safe and appropriate, and the lowest possible dosage should be used. For some women, HRT can increase chances of blood clots, heart attack, stroke, breast cancer, and gallbladder disease.
BHRT: Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
Touted as a more natural approach to HRT, BHRT has long been believed to be a safer alternative. However, as knowledge has increased, that belief has changed. Now, a host of organizations, including the International Menopause Society, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Endocrine Society, the North American Menopause Society, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, American Medical Association, American Cancer Society, and the Mayo Clinic, say there is no research to show that the effects of BHRT are any different from HRT, and as such, BHRT should be pursued with the same consideration as HRT.
Natural Remedies
Since menopause is a normal part of life, why is the medical profession fighting it with hormone replacement therapy and, worse, antidepressants? Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine offer natural ways to ease the body through the change in hormones, enabling it to learn this new way of being — without the addition of chemicals or hormones. Acupuncture approaches menopause in two ways: (1) by treating the presenting symptoms, which may include hot flashes, insomnia, aches and pains, and moodiness; and (2) by looking at the whole health of the woman to manage the transition. Acupuncture serves to remove blocks in the body’s blood flow, and by doing this, it helps the body do what it does best: heal itself. Even if it needs a little assistance through this changing time in a woman’s life, that doesn’t mean it needs a host of drugs and extra hormones running through that blood.
If you are looking for an alternative natural approach to managing the symptoms of menopause, give us a call. We’ll treat you with the care and respect you deserve.
