HOW TCM (ACUPUNCTURE & CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE) CAN MINIMIZE THE NEGATIVE SIGNS & SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH MENOPAUSE
Many Women consider the symptoms of menopause to be an unavoidable reality of life. The discomforts associated with menopause are in no way obligatory women’s burdens, they are important signs of imbalances in the body that can be addressed and treated.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has been successfully treating the symptoms of menopause, both in management and prevention, for thousands of years. As with any medicine in modern times, it is a constantly growing and evolving therapy; but its roots remain firm in time-tested philosophies, and provide the strong foundation for its healing principles.
HOW TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE (TCM) VIEWS MENOPAUSE
When working at its best, the body is a delicate balance of many working systems that all flow and interact in harmony. The most basic categorical distinction between the forces at work in the body, according to TCM principles, is YIN and YANG.
~ YIN represents the cooling, nourishing, and fluid substances of the body, the more water element that keeps things calm and cool.
~ YANG is the warming energy that drives movement and function, the fire element that keeps the body’s hearth burning and engine running.
TCM thoughts of menopause were that a woman’s YIN Water becomes deficient, and unable to hold control of the YANG Fire aspects. This disruption of the YIN-YANG balance produces feelings like heat and agitation (YANG Fire), and feelings like dryness and fatigue (YIN Water). Treatment focus is therefore focused on nourishing the YIN Water to provide cooling & moisture to calm the mind, and subduing YANG Fire to vent heat.
Of course, with modern laboratory abilities, we can now attribute the symptoms of menopause to measurable changes in hormone sensitivity and production. Regardless, syndrome treatment based on the ancient theories and philosophies of TCM, with its individual-based approach to therapy, have been proven for millennia to work.
TCM TREATMENT OF MENOPAUSE WITH ACUPUNCTURE AND HERBAL MEDICINE
The two main tools of TCM in the treatment of Menopausal symptoms are acupuncture and herbal medicine.
Acupuncture is highly effective in addressing such things as menopausal anxiety and insomnia.
Regular acupuncture treatments are recommended to help normalize the ups-and-downs of your cycle, and effectively smooth the discomforts associated with the hormonal shifts. Patients leave the treatment room feeling relaxed, and this calm state can provide for more restful sleep, and take the edge off the ordeals of the day.
Herbal medicine works on a deeper level, being individually formulated to address the “root imbalances” as well as provide symptom relief.
The herbs used have a high degree of acceptance by the body, are government-regulated for safety and purity, and can effectively relieve such symptoms as hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, mental fogginess, fatigue, etc. Recent studies have proven that these herbs have a significant effect on balancing hormones, regulating mood, and preserving bone mass.
