From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, symptoms surrounding menopause spring from two main sources: "Yin Deficiency" or "Qi Stagnation with Heat." For most women, these symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, anxiety, dryness and more. Many women dread this change in their life, but interestingly not every woman or culture experiences the same symptoms. Reasons could range from lifestyle, diet, genetics, and the individuals expectation and perception of menopause.
If you’ve read my article on Aging Cycles then you know a little about how I view and treat menopause. In this article, I'll go deeper into a Chinese Medicine approach to the symptoms. Let us get an insight into each one:
What Is Yin Deficiency?
Yin is the substance of the body that is responsible for cooling, moisturizing, and calming. Around the age of 50, Yin takes a huge nose dive, almost as if it has run its course, and then we lose all of the wonderful qualities that Yin provides us. Yin does come back eventually but it takes a little more effort on our part to keep it strong.
Qi Stagnation with Heat: A Stress Ball that Causes Heat
What makes the symptoms of Yin deficiency worse is when we add stress to the mix. Let me explain: Normally our Qi circulates freely along meridians in the body. When we have outside stresses like work, kids at college, kids planning a wedding, and aging parents, the Qi starts to get tense and stagnate. The stagnant Qi festers creating a ball of hot energy that explodes occasionally or even several times a day. When that ball of energy explodes we get hot, anxious, and wake up in the middle of night - commonly around 3 AM.
From my experience, most of my patients that have hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms have both of those imbalances. Symptoms do eventually even out, but the time can be shortened by doing a few simple steps:
- Acupuncture: helps the body to return to homeostasis
- Herbs: my go-to for hot flashes because they work so well! I have a few formulas that I often prescribe based on symptoms, but talk to your Acupuncturist as well.
- Reduce stress: do what you can to eliminate stress.
- Reduce Coffee: it makes us hot and creates a Yin Deficiency over time
- Reduce sugar: also creates a Yin Deficiency and stagnates our Qi.
Doing a combination of those can greatly reduce the symptoms of menopause before, during, and after, so ask your practitioner to help you find the best combo for your individual needs. Book your appointment online today!
Care Consideration: Just a reminder that the above information is not a substitute for medical care and is not a substitute for medical advice or recommendations from a healthcare provider. This information is not intended to treat, mitigate or cure any disease. That said, we encourage you to connect with an Acupuncturist in your community to learn more about this and other Traditional Chinese Medicine options. If you’ve got questions about Chinese herbal medicine or getting started with an Acupuncturist, feel free to connect with us on hello@mydaolabs.com.
Alicia Loomis, LAc. incorporates acupuncture, herbal medicine, and food therapy to get to the root of the problem and treat the whole body. She specializes in women’s health, chronic illness, and Cosmetic Acupuncture (AKA facial rejuvenation). As an anti-aging expert, she uses cosmetic acupuncture, herbal skin care, and facial diagnosis to help her patients look and feel their best. Alicia is the owner of Renew You in Apple Valley, MN.
