Menopause – A Chinese Medicine Approach

By Livia Garcia

Menopause is the permanent end of menstrual periods. Menopause occurs because as women age, the ovaries stop producing estrogen and progesterone, while the adrenals begin making estrogen and androgen. The average age for menopause is about 51, however it can occur in women as young as 40. During the years before menopause, production of estrogen and progesterone starts to decrease and menstrual period and ovulation occur less often. The fluctuations between these hormones are thought to cause the menopausal symptoms experienced by many women. Interestingly, symptoms of menopause can start years before menstrual period ends.

In the healthy women, this process is smooth, however when the menopausal transformation is not harmonious there can be various symptoms. Insomnia, nervousness, leg cramps, night sweats, hot flashes, fatigue, loss of concentration, headache, anxiety, palpitation, poor bladder control, dry skin and osteoporosis are just to name a few of the symptoms related to menopause.

The use of estrogen (Hormone Replacement Therapy, HRT), a standard medical prescription, is used to relieve some of the symptoms and also osteoporosis. Nevertheless, the supplementation of estrogen has been shown to increase the risk of various imbalances such as gallbladder disease, strokes, cancer of the breast, uterus and liver, blood clots in the lungs, legs and the eyes.

Complementary Therapy and Menopause

In Chinese Medicine, the symptoms of menopause are related to a deficiency of yin fluids, especially those yin fluids that calm and relax the liver. Chinese Medicine uses Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and Chinese dietetics to correct energy and hormonal imbalances. Therefore, a helpful dietary approach is to add foods that specially “build yin”. Foods that build the yin include: Wheat germ and its oil, mung bean, mung bean sprouts, seaweed, spirulina, millet, black bean tofu, kidney bean, barley, black sesame seed. Royal Jelly, the food of the queen bee, can greatly tonify the feminine hormonal system. It is classified by Chinese herbalism as a food that builds the yin and improves Qi energy. One should also avoid cigarettes, alcohol, coffee, excessive meat and foods rich is oxalic acid (spinach, rhubarb), which bind with calcium in the body.

Vitamin E, B-complex, C and A and the mineral calcium are essential for treating menopausal discomfort. Vitamin E is a very important nutrient as it stimulates the production of estrogen. Wheat germ and wheat germ oil is a good source of Vitamin E as it tonifies the Yin. Herbs such as (dandelion, milk thistle), are used to support liver function. Red clover, wild yam, sage, agnus castus, donquai are herbs that can be used, as they are high in plant estrogen. Aromatherapy (Fennel, cypress, sage oil) can also be combined as part of the treatment. Read more on Nutrition.

At coastal natural therapies we can provide you with more information about menopause and help you to achieve optimum health, through the use of Acupuncture and Chinese herbs.

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