How does acupuncture work on the symptoms of menopause?

Treating menopause symptoms such as migraine headaches is not the same in every part of the world. Each country has different ways of treating a condition based on the people’s beliefs and traditions. However, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), especially acupuncture, a uniquely Chinese healing tradition, has become one of the most enduring and popular forms of treatment for dozens on condition in both Western and Eastern societies. It is a form of treatment that has the ability to treat a wide range of physical and psychological conditions including menopause.

Menopause is seen by TCM to be a time in a woman’s life when her body ceases her natural monthly reproductive cycle implying that she no longer will have the ability to reproduce. This phase of a woman’s life is thought of by TCM practitioners to be the time when her menstrual cycle stops in order to conserve her vital energy (qi) so she may be able to retain the energy she needs to live healthily when she ages.

Women in Eastern societies have a much easier time dealing with Menopause than Western women. The reason for this is that women in the West lead a more stressful fast-paced life and eat a much poorer diet that exhaust their qi much faster than their sisters in the East. Thus, we can see that women in Western cultures are more likely to experience far more intense symptoms of menopause compared to women in the East.

Regardless of the true causes of menopause, the truth is Traditional Chinese Medicine has never seen menopause to be sort of a syndrome cause by a health condition. But they still believe that women who have a hard time going through menopause have a number of problems dealing with their qi. Some of these problems include deficiency of kidney yin and liver qi stagnation. In short, their qi is imbalanced and this causes problems in their body and mind.

Therefore, the aim of TCM treatment is to treat each woman based on her specific symptoms, which means a unique form of treatment for each patient. Different modalities besides acupuncture are needed including exercises, dietary and lifestyle alterations, or Chinese herbs to help bring balance to the body.

How does acupuncture work?
Acupuncturists believe that the human body has over 2000 acupuncture points (acupoints). Each of these acupoints are linked in one way or another to one or more of the 20 different energy channels called meridians. These meridians are the conduits where qi circulates all over the body. Qi has a certain effect on each acupoint as it passes through. The person enjoys a healthy balance in body and mind if the qi flows smoothly and unhindered through the meridians.

In treating menopause symptoms, acupuncturists will help a woman get back her qi balance by treating the acupoints associated with her symptoms. Depending on the symptoms experienced, certain acupoints are used. We can see then, that the symptoms exhibited by each patient will determine the type of treatment each one will get.

Acupuncture treatment involves the use of solid but extremely thin needles inserted into specific acupoints in the body. The needles are inserted to stimulate the meridians to boost the production of qi and clear out any obstacles to qi flow. The needles may be inserted into acupoints located on the feet, legs, arms, or shoulders. Under the skilled hands of a qualified and skilled acupuncturist, the needles shouldn’t cause bleeding or pain although one might expect a slight numbing or tingling sensation or a slight discomfort that fades immediately and replaced by a feeling of vitality or relaxation as the effect of the treatment is felt.

Can acupuncture help treat menopause symptoms?
Definitely! Studies have found that most women who underwent acupuncture treatment experienced from their menopausal symptoms including:

-Vaginal dryness
-Anxiety
-Stress
-Insomnia
-Hot flashes