Acupuncture and Menopause
Acupuncture and The MenopauseMenopause occurs naturally at an average age of 50 and involves the natural cessation of menstruation. Menopausal women may feel warm or hot and may perspire, sometimes profusely and experience hot flushes, which sometimes coincide with Luteinising Hormone (LH) pulses.
Symptoms including fatigue, irritability, insomnia, inability to concentrate, depression, memory loss, headache, anxiety, and nervousness, sleep disruption, fatigue and irritability. Intermittent dizziness, palpitations may occur. Nausea, constipation, diarrhea, arthralgia, myalgia, cold hands and feet, and weight gain are also common. The large reduction in oestrogen leads to changes in the lower genital tract. Women tend to lose pelvic muscle tone and to develop urinary incontinence, cystitis, vaginitis, and loss of libido.
Causes of Menopause
According to Traditional Chinese Medicince, as women age, the energetics of the kidneys decline in line with their fertililty and the function of the ovaries. Response to pituitary hormones (follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH] and luteinizing hormone [LH]) decreases, initially resulting shorter menstrual cycles, fewer ovulations, decreased progesterone production, and more irregularity in cycles. Eventually, menstruation stops altogether. Menopausal women may be prescribed HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy).
Acupuncture and Menopause Research
From 1997 to 1999, in one of the first studies in the US to explore the effectiveness of acupuncture in alleviating hot flashes, insomnia and nervousness, conducted by Dr. Susan Cohen, D.S.N., APRN, it was found that during the course of acupuncture treatments, hot flashes decreased by 35% and insomnia decreased by 50%. A follow-up study revealed hot flashes significantly decreased in those receiving acupuncture, compared to those receiving routine care.
A 2002 pilot study in England found that acupuncture reduced the frequency and severity of hot flashes in women being treated with tamoxifen for breast cancer.
Acupuncture and Menopause Testimonial
Acupuncture and Menopause Case Study
The London Acupuncture Space has undergone extensive training in Fertility Acupuncture and Obstetrics Acupuncture at the Royal College of Physicians in London and at the reknowned Zita West Fertility Clinic.