Women's Healthcare
"A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform." — Diane Mariechild
What is Menopause Syndrome?
Menopause is a natural and inescapable process that occurs in every woman. It is a physical transition from a reproductive age to an old one over a period of years as a natural consequence of aging. Menopause can be declared when there has been amenorrhea (absence of any menstruation) for one complete year. The age range for menopause (the last period from natural causes) varies regionally around the world. In the Western world, the most typical age range is between the ages of 40 and 61, and the average age for the last period is 51 years. In Australia, the average age of natural menopause is 51.7 years, and in some Asian countries, such as India and the Philippines, the median age of natural menopause is considerably earlier, at about 44 years.
What causes menopause syndrome?
Menopause is most commonly caused by the failure of ovarian function and the reduction of estrogen levels, although a few cases are exacerbated primarily by emotional factors, social pressure and job stress. Menopausal syndrome is an unhealthy status related to menopause. As estrogen levels fluctuate and drop corresponding to the menopause transition, menstrual disorder becomes the most obvious and frequent symptom. Other symptoms also associate with low estrogen levels, such as mental abnormality (depression, anxiety, irritability, bad temper or mood swings), vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes and palpitations), psychological effects (dizziness, insomnia and poor memory), and atrophic effects (vaginal dryness, decreased libido and urgency of urination).
What's the traditional way to treat menopause syndrome?
Because menopause is more of a natural stage of life than a disordered one, it does not need to take any kind of medical treatment at all. However, in some cases where menopause syndrome manifests very strongly and disrupts normal work and work, palliative medical therapy may be applied. Taking oral sedatives together with psychological therapy can effectively handle psychological symptoms. And hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the main stream of menopausal and postmenopausal treatment. Despite the benefits it brings about, the adverse effects are another scenario which cannot be ignored. The side effects appear to vary according to duration of medication and dose. Possible risks include uterine bleeding, endometrial carcinoma, endometrial hyperplasia, breast cancer, and most commonly unfavorable influence of hormone, such as sedate caused by progesterone [6], irritability and mood change caused by progestin [7], breast swelling and pain as well as leucorrhoea increase caused by estrogen, etc.
Taking the above disadvantages into consideration, more and more patients have turned their eyes to popular acupuncture and Chinese medicine, a safe, natural, drug-free and effective way to address menopausal syndrome.
Why Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine are effective in treating menopause syndrome?
In view of Traditional Chinese Medicine, menopausal syndrome is closely associated with the declining of Kidney Qi and Taigui and inner imbalance of Yin and Yang.
Kidney Qi is our basic energy resource that powers all our life functions. When Kidney Qi is abundant, our capability to adapt to disease, illness and stress is optimal. As we age, our supply of Kidney Qi energy is slowly drained and which in turn leads to various symptoms like frequent urination, poor memory, delayed menstruation or profuse menstrual flow. Taigui, a fundamental concept rooted in TCM's theories, is another energy bound up with promoting and regulating menstrual cycles and ovulation. According to TCM, Taigui arrives and the girl gets her menarche when the girl reaches about 14 years old. As she ages, Taigui becomes more and more exuberant, which as a result, lets the girl grow into a mature and reproductive woman. Naturally and regularly, Taigui begins to drop and finally fade away from the age of about 42 to 60, and at the same time, the ability to fertility declines until post- menopause.
The imbalance in Yin and Yang energies is another factor that can contribute to menopause. Yin can be thought of as the cooling system of the body. When this cooling system declines, many symptoms will naturally arise, leading to less menstrual flow, dry vulvas, night sweats, restlessness, hot flashes, mood savings, heart palpitations, and insomnia. In contrast, Yang represents the warming and metabolizing functions of the body. When Yang is unbalanced, symptoms may include amenorrhea or delayed menstruation, profuse menstrual flow, low estrogen levels, water retention, cold hands and feet, weight gain, edema, indigestion, hypertension, or raised cholesterol levels.
What to expect by receiving acupuncture therapy?
After evaluating your physical condition and health history patiently and passionately, we will write down your symptoms, signs and other information used to diagnose you and then work out a practical and unique plan for your treatment. Acupuncture treatment can not only effectively regulate the imbalance of Yin and Yang, but also nourish and activate Kidney Qi and Taigui. Because of this, you'll regain balance deep in the body and stay away from menopausal syndrome.
According to the above description, it is too right to emphasize the effectiveness of this safe, natural and drug-free acupuncture therapy.