Support a Healthy Menopause with Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine

Menopause refers to the profound phsiological transition that leads to the complete cessation of the menstrual cycle. Menopause has officially occurred once you’ve been without a period for a year, but the stage that leads up to menopause (known as perimenopause) lasts for anywhere from 2 to 5 years. This shift typically occurs sometime between the ages of 45 and 55. Perimenopause is marked by a change in the menstrual cycle; it may become irregular, longer or shorter in length, and lighter or heavier in flow. This is your body signaling that hormonal shifts are underway.

The process of menopause involves the gradual decline in reproductive function, namely ovarian follicles becoming less abundant and halting their production of hormones. In Chinese medicine, we refer to this process as the decline of Kidney-Essence, which manifests in Kidney-Yin or Kidney-Yang deficiency. Symptoms associated with the decline in Kidney-Essence include night sweats, hot flashes, insomnia, fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, vaginal dryness, and emotional discomfort.

That said, menopause is a natural, healthy part of aging that doesn’t need to be accompanied by debilitating symtoms. Menopause is not a disease state. It is a meaningful shift from childbearing years into the wisdom years. When approached with care, it can be both a smooth and transformative time.

Regulating your menstrual cycle from an early age through acupuncture, herbal medicine, lifestyle, and diet can help to make menopause less symptomatic. But it’s certainly not too late to start regulating the menstrual cycle once you enter perimenopause – acupuncture and herbal medicine can effectively balance your whole system and reduce discomforts of menopause any time treatment is initiated. In the clinic, we’ll address underlying constitutional imbalances along with the root causes of your menopausal symptoms.