Treating Menopausal Syndrome the Natural Way

--- Balancing your hormones with acupuncture and Chinese herbs

Menopause is defined as the point at which menstruation ceases, and it is usually confirmed when a woman has not had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months in the absence of any other obvious biological or physiological cause. Natural menopause occurs as part of the aging process and the estimates of the mean age at menopause range from 48 to 52 years. However a woman may notice the changes of menopause far before it comes. The World Health Organization defines perimenopause at the 2-8 years preceding menopause and 1 year after final menses. During perimenopause, lots of women experience various symptoms, which include menstrual irregularities, vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes), sleep disturbances, and psychological/behavioral changes (depression).

Estrogen therapy used to be the most commonly used treatment in the U.S. for menopausal symptoms. However, for some women, such as those with estrogen-sensitive breast cancers, estrogen therapy is contraindicated. Other women, concerned about the unresolved question of the relationship between estrogen therapy and breast cancer, or annoyed by the inconvenience of artificially maintained menses or other adverse effects of the estrogen therapy, choose not to take estrogen. (Read Replacement or Not for more on this topic). There is little else that Western medicine currently has to offer these women. Many of them experiment on their own with vitamins and herbal remedies that they hear of by word-of-mouth.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbs have a long history of use in the treatment of menopausal symptoms. Chinese medicine provides a unique theory in understanding female’s hormone regulation. According to Chinese theory, human body consists of two opposite energy forces, Yin and Yang energy. A healthy person usually has a balanced Yin-Yang energy force. If your Yin-Yang energy is not balanced, your self-healing system is down and you may get sick. Yin-Yang energy forces also regulate female menstruation cycle. It is the Yin energy in dominant during the two weeks before ovulation, while Yang energy gradually become dominant in the two weeks after ovulation. Since Yin energy is the basic energy force for women’s body, it is not unusual to see Yin energy deficiency during the week before period comes. According to Chinese medicine, menopause is a natural process of Kidney energy deficiency, especially the Kidney Yin energy. Therefore, it is even more difficult for menopause women to balance Yin-Yang energy during their menstruation cycle. Yin energy deficiency results in excess Yang energy, which produces Heat (toxic material) in the body. The pathogenic Heat inside the body block energy movement in organ systems and cause a variety of symptoms such as hot flashes, insomnia, irritation, pain and depression.

Chinese approach to menopausal symptoms is to balance Yin and Yang and help your body pass through this natural process peacefully. Acupuncture improves energy movement and stimulates self-healing system of the body, while Chinese herbs provide specific Yin or Yang energy to your body and lead the body to a healthy balance. Both therapies use natural method to balance your hormone level and reduce menopausal symptoms. Drs. Wu and Zhou of China treated 300 cases of menopausal women with acupuncture alone. Of the 300 women treated, 153 were cured, 84 markedly improved, 54 improved and 9 ineffective (Wu and Zhou, 1998).

With Chinese herbal therapy, specific herbal formulas are used during different period of time within your menstruation cycle to balance your hormone specifically. With Chinese Yin-Yang theory we are able to balance women’s body with herbal formula for a variety of hormone-related illnesses such as menopausal syndrome, PMS and infertility. A number of classical Chinese formulas such as Xiao Yao Wan have also been widely used for menopause and PMS around the world. A specific formula for each individual patient, usually prescribed by a Chinese doctor, would be even better to balance your energy and reach harmony in your body and mind.

In addition to hot flashes, osteoporosis is another major concern for menopausal women. Osteoporosis is caused by an imbalance between bone resorption and bone formation, which results in bone loss and fractures. Hormone imbalance is the main reason for osteoporosis in menopausal women. According to Chinese medicine, osteoporosis is also a Kidney problem. Therefore, the Kidney energy herbs also help to improve osteoporosis for menopausal women. Dr. Yamaguchi and colleagues from Japan reported that Cistanche salsa, a common Chinese Kidney energy herb, was an anti-osteoporotic agent. The extract of this herb significantly suppressed the bone weight loss in ovariectomized mice, a postmenopausal osteoporosis model (Yamaguchi et al, 1999). Drs. Yu and colleagues from China studied another Chinese herb, Epimedium leptorrhizum stearn. The in vitro study showed that this herb inhibited the osteoclastic resorption of bone while the in vivo investigation demonstrated that Epimedium had similar effect as estradiol to increase mineral content and promote bone formation (Yu et al, 1999). These studies indicate that some Chinese herbs are of potential use in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis.

(Also read Replacement of Not for more information.)

Reference:

Wu L and Zhou X. 300 cases of menopausal syndrome treated by acupuncture. J Trad Chin Med 1998; 18 (4):259-262.

Yamaguchi K, Shinohara C, Kojima S, Sodeoka M, Tsuji T. (2E,6R-8-hydroxy-2,6-dimethyl-2-octenoic acid, a novel anti-osteoporotic monoterpene, isolated from Cistanche salsa. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 1999; 63 (4):731-735.

Yu S, Chen K, Li S, Zhang K. In vitro and in vivo studies of the effect of a Chinese herb medicine on osteoclastic bone resorption. Chin J Dent Res 1999; 2:7-11.