Menopause is a time of transition, a natural process that all women experience. There is no typical menopause. The age of menopause, the duration of the change, and the symptoms experienced are different for each woman. On average, menopause occurs around the 50th year, but can begin as early as the late thirties. Typically, the change is gradual, lasting somewhere around 3 – 5 years.
Menopause, as with any other phase of life has its ups and downs. No longer is there a concern about getting pregnant. During the transition, menstrual periods become sporadic, and eventually cease completely so many women find this a reason to celebrate. On the other hand there may be disruptive symptoms. Not all women experience symptoms and most do not experience all of them, but examples include: insomnia, restless sleep, night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, loss of libido, anxiety, irritability, depression, head ache, fatigue, memory loss, inability to concentrate, weight gain, osteoporosis. This is a scary sounding list, but there is help, and acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine provide excellent options.
Let’s first take a look at the typical Western Medicine treatment. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been the standard treatment for many years. Menopause results because the ovaries cease producing estrogen. Therefore, the pharmaceutical treatment is to replace the lost hormone. Examples of HRT include birth control pills, Premarin, and Prempro. Bio-Identical hormones that are usually custom compounded are also an option for hormone replacement. In most cases, these hormones flood the system and provide what some describe as a sledge hammer approach to treatment. A major concern associated with HRT comes from the large study done in the U.S. called the Women’s Health Initiative. Researchers concluded from this study that there is a significant increased risk of heart attack, stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer for those taking HRT.
There are other common Western medicine treatments, all involve taking a pharmaceutical drug such as anti-depressants (examples include Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, Elavil), mild sedatives (Xanax, Valium, Ativan), Clonidine (an anti-hypertensive), biphosphonates (Fosamax). All of these drugs treat the women as if she had a disease, but as noted above, menopause is a natural and expected time of transition and is not a disease.
Now let’s take a look at how acupuncture and Chinese Herbal medicine – collectively called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – are used to treat the disruptive symptoms associated with menopause. As a TCM practitioner, I evaluate each patient by asking many questions about their health history and symptoms, and by evaluating their tongue and pulse. From this information, I identify the diagnosis or imbalance in their body. The imbalance is the source of the disruptive symptoms such as hot flashes, insomnia, irritability or which ever symptom(s) that patient is facing. Acupuncture involves the careful placement of very fine needles into specific points in the body to re-balance. A Chinese herbal formula will enhance the acupuncture treatment and improve the response to treatment. The herbal formulas have been used for literally thousands of years. Their actions are well known and side effects virtually non existent. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine if applied regularly will coax the body back into balance, thereby resolving menopause symptoms.
If you have questions about your specific situation, please do not hesitate to call or make an appointment for a free consultation.
Dr. Ann
602-955-5444
