Menopause doesn't have to be a dreaded curse of
aging during which we can look forward only to hot flashes and
whacked-out hormonal mood swings. Menopause often marks the beginning
of a woman's most sexually passionate, creatively inspired, and
professionally productive phase of life.
While this may
sound like wishful thinking, examine how a woman's lifestyle, emotions,
and beliefs are affected by menopause. With the right diet, attitude,
and Oriental Medicine women can actually look forward to a resurgence
of energy and a revolutionary opportunity for personal growth--one that
rivals the hormonally driven period of adolescence.
What is Menopause?
Menopause is a transitional period marking the cessation of ovulation
in a woman's body. This time of change may last a few months to several
years. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and are brought on as our
bodies try to adapt to decreasing amounts of estrogen. Symptoms include
hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, fatigue, mood swings, memory loss,
vaginal dryness, headaches, joint pain, and weight gain.
According to Chinese Medical theory, menopause occurs when a woman's
body begins to preserve blood and energy in order to sustain her
vitality and allow for the maximum available nourishment for her body,
especially her kidneys. The kidney is the organ Chinese Medicine sees
as the root of life and longevity. Therefore, the body, in its wisdom,
reserves the flow of a channel in the center of the body which sends
blood and energy down to the uterus. Instead, blood and essence from
the kidneys are conserved and cycled through the body to nourish the
woman's spirit and extend her longevity. Thus, in the Chinese Medicine,
menopause is seen as true change in life from mother to enlightened and
wise being.
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 they may alleviate hot
flashes and prevent osteoporosis, they will also increase the risk of
breast, ovarian and uterine cancer, and have 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 flashes, foggy mind, and
irritability.
Evidence that Acupuncture and Herbal
Medicine have been used for women's health can be found in early
medical literature dating back to 3AD.
Traditional
Chinese Medicine does not recognize 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
flashes, each of these 10 women will receive a unique, customized
treatment with different acupuncture points, different herbs and
different lifestyle and diet recommendations.
How Acupuncture Works
The mental and emotional symptoms that you are experiencing will help
create a clear picture on which your practitioners can create a
treatment plan specifically for you. The basic foundation for Oriental
medicine is that there is a life energy flowing through the body which
is termed Qi (pronounced chee). This energy flows through the body on
channels known as meridians that connect all of our major organs.
According to Chinese medical theory, illness arises when the cyclical
flow of Qi in the meridians becomes unbalanced. Acupuncture is the
stimulation of specific points located near or on the surface of the
skin which have the ability to alter various biochemical and
physiological conditions in order to achieve the desired effect.
The Acupuncture Treatment
Acupuncture points to treat the emotional and physical effects of
menopause are located all over the body. During the acupuncture
treatment, tiny needles will be placed along your legs, arms,
shoulders, and perhaps even your little toe!
There seems
to be little sensitivity to the insertion of acupuncture needles. They
are so thin that several acupuncture needles can go into the middle of
a hypodermic needle. Occasionally, there is a brief moment of
discomfort as the needle penetrates the skin, but once the needles are
in place, most people relax and even fall asleep for the duration of
the treatment.
The length, number and frequency of
treatments will vary. Typical treatments last from five to 30 minutes,
with the patient being treated one or two times a week. Some symptoms
are relieved after the first treatment, while more severe or chronic
ailments often require multiple treatments. The style of acupuncture
that your acupuncturist has been trained in will play a roll in length
of treatment, number of points used and frequency of visits.
Studies on Acupuncture and Menopause
Since the early seventies, studies around the globe have suggested that
acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are effective treatments for
hot flashes, anxiety, insomnia, vaginal dryness and many other symptoms
associated with menopause. Recent studies show extremely positive
results:
From 1997 to 1999, one of the first studies in
the United States to explore the effectiveness of acupuncture in
alleviating hot flashes, insomnia and nervousness, conducted by Dr.
Susan Cohen, D.S.N., APRN, associate professor of the University of
Pittsburgh, it was found that during the course of acupuncture
treatments, hot flashes decreased by 35% and insomnia decreased by 50%.
A follow-up study revealed hot flashes significantly decreased in those
receiving acupuncture, compared to those receiving routine care.
A 2002 pilot study in England found that acupuncture reduced the
frequency and severity of hot flashes in women being treated with
tamoxifen for breast cancer.
While these results are
promising and the United Nations World Health Organization has approved
acupuncture as a treatment for symptoms associated with menopause,
further clinical trials with larger samples are currently underway
A 2003 study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, involves a
larger number of participants than previous studies. Participants will
be divided into three groups; one will receive menopause-specific
acupuncture, one will receive non-menopause-specific acupuncture, and
one will receive usual care.
Stanford Medical Center
researchers are now studying whether acupuncture can help alleviate hot
flashes. During the one-year, placebo-controlled study at Stanford,
volunteers may receive 10 treatments over an eight-week period.
Lifestyle and Dietary Instructions
Menopause patients are encouraged lose that extra weight and to follow
a diet with a high content of raw foods, fruits and vegetables to
stabilize blood sugar. Some foods may exacerbate hot flashes or
increase mood swings. Steer clear of dairy products, red meats,
alcohol, sugar, spicy foods, caffeine, and don't smoke. Lastly, try to
eliminate stress, tension and anxiety or learn techniques to cope with
stress so that you can diminish the effects that it has on your body
and mind.