When a woman’s menstrual cycle ceases to flow permanently, she is in menopause. Menopause starts to develop when the ovaries gradually lose their capacity to manufacture estrogen. The lowered estrogen levels in the body decreases fertility, making it more and more difficult for the woman to reproduce. It eventually reaches a point when she is no longer able to have menstruation or bear a child. This phase of a woman’s life is a natural part of her aging process although it can come about through surgery, particularly a hysterectomy procedure, in which the ovaries are taken out along with the uterus.  On the average, a woman starts to become menopausal around 50.5 years of age although it can also come either earlier or later than this.

There are women who may breeze through menopause without any difficulties at all.  But for most of them, symptoms such as irritability, insomnia, night sweats and mild to severe hot flashes are usually experienced. Some menopausal women may experience additional symptoms such as mood swings, memory loss, depression, fatigue, lowered libido, joint pain, osteoporosis, urinary incontinence or urgency, or vaginal dryness.  Ten years ago, estrogen replacement therapy was acclaimed to be the best therapy for menopause symptoms, today, this treatment is considered dangerous and even deadly. These days you have a host of options to choose from including progesterone creams and bio-identical hormones among many others. The problem with them is that no one still knows what long-term side effects they will produce and if they are safe to use for women with a family history of breast cancer.

Two of the best options menopausal women can avail of are two traditional Chinese medicine modalities known as acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. These are more than five thousand year old treatments and have been used for treating perimenopause and menopause symptoms throughout the years. Some people are skeptical of these therapies really working; but if they don’t work, then they wouldn’t have been popular forms of treatment for hundreds of millions of people today and throughout the ages to begin with.

With acupuncture treatment you can expect a therapy that gives you a feeling of deep relaxation and calmness.  There are even people who have felt something “shift” inside them during treatments. They felt as is something heavy has been lifted out of their body. Others have felt a slight tingling sensation while some a heavy sensation. Some of the patients suffering from menopausal symptoms have felt a diminution of night sweats, mood swings, and hot flashes even only after a single session. However, it often requires multiple sessions of acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy to help the body rectify and heal itself and attain long-term results.

How does Acupuncture Work?

A person first experiences an imbalance in energy before any symptoms appear. The basic understanding behind the mechanics of acupuncture is that there exists a vital energy known as qi or chi circulating all over the body. When the chi of your tissues and organs are in balance, they function normally. As we age along with various life choices and events and with different stressful situations, the balance of energy becomes imbalanced. Factors such as lack of exercise, overwork, emotional stress, and diet among many others impact the body’s energies.

When perimonepause starts to develop in a woman, she starts to lose her yin energy. This type of energy is associated with receptiveness, calm, moist and quiet. When yin starts to deplete, it can be like not putting enough coolant into your car’s engine. This makes the engine overheat. So while acupuncture can balance the energies in your body, you can be assured that your acupuncturist will also require you to take an herbal formula.  This formula can be a way of putting a “coolant” into your body. Chinese herbal formulas usually do not contain just one herb.  It can contain certain amounts of different herbs that are contrived to precisely address the specific conditions, body type and symptoms of each patient.  When you look for a licensed acupuncturist to treat your perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms, you need to also make sure that he/she is a licensed and qualified Chinese herbalist as this can make a major difference in the outcomes you expect. Most of the herbs used in treating menopausal or perimenopause have phytoestrogens in them. Phytoestrogens are often contraindicated in women who have a family or medical history of breast cancer.  It is only the herbalist who can determine whether to use a formula with no phytoestrogens that can help resolve perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms.

Ni Nan Healing Art Center
2579 Merrick Rd
Bellmore, NY 11710
Phone: (516) 442-7408
www.ninanhealing.com