Menopause
If you find yourself waking startled in the night, having irrational thoughts, difficulty focusing, feeling anxious or waking in a puddle of sweat, you might just be experiencing menopause symptoms.
Menopause is a stage in life that all women go through, but don’t despair; there are many options available for the management of menopause symptoms, not all of them pharmaceutical!
It’s about making an informed decision to suit your ideals and obtain the best outcome for you. All women are different and there is no one menopause treatment that will suit everyone. This includes Chinese Medicine.
Why not make an appointment with a trained skilled practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, (TCM) who can tailor your treatment to suit you as an individual?
Some International research has shown that acupuncture has a positive effect on reducing the effects of menopause among women. I continue to be part of this growing research, with many of my clients experiencing great success in the management of their menopause symptoms through acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
TCM and menopause
TCM views menopause as a period of natural transition in a woman’s life, a time where the body’s energy and hormones are in a state of flux. This often results in various symptoms that can range in severity from uncomfortable to debilitating.
As a holistic system, TCM does not separate physical symptoms from those of an emotional nature. Instead, an individual is always looked at as a whole. Each symptom is looked at in relationship to all other presenting symptoms in order to find a complete health pattern. The goal of the practitioner is to bring balance to the patient — simultaneously treating both the physical and emotional aspects of the condition.
In order to determine which pattern is at hand, things like the colour and shape of the tongue, the relative strength of pulse-points, the smell of the breath, the quality of breathing or the sound of the voice will be examined and questions asked about your appetite, sleep patterns and menstrual history. Once your TCM pattern is determined, acupuncture points and or herbs will be prescribed, to address the disharmony and ease your symptoms.
Lifestyle and dietary recomendations
Menopause patients, dependant on their constitutional type, may also be encouraged to follow a diet with a high content of raw foods, fruits and vegetables, to stabilize blood sugar.
Some foods may promote hot flushes or aggravate mood swings and may need to be avoided, such as dairy products, red meats, alcohol, sugar, spicy foods, and caffeine.
Cigarettes may dry up yin and body fluid. Lastly, stress, tension and anxiety should be avoided as much as possible.
Don’t let the changes of life overwhelm your quality of life ….