Even though menopause is a normal part of every woman’s life, the symptoms can feel anything but normal. It’s a time when your hormonal balance undergoes wholesale change since your body no longer needs support for reproduction.
Every woman has her own unique menopause experience, a combination of symptoms and severities that add up to your menopause load. Though hormone replacement therapy is a common treatment, it carries its own risks, and some people can’t use it because of other health risks.
The traditional Chinese medical discipline of acupuncture acts as a regulator for your body’s endocrine system, countering the hormonal changes of menopause with a compensating balance that reduces the frequency and intensity of menopause symptoms without medications or synthetic hormones.
Visit us at Pine Mountain Chinese Acupuncture & Herb Clinic in Austin, Texas, for a personalized consultation on acupuncture treatments for menopause symptoms. Today, let’s look at eight annoying menopausal symptoms that acupuncture alleviates.
The banner symptom of menopause for many women, hot flashes, results from a loss of body temperature regulation brought on by the loss of estrogen as the ovaries shut down. Hot flashes tend to slow with time, but some women may experience them for 10 years or more.
Acupuncture treatments, in combination with hydration and a healthy diet, can compensate for the loss of estrogen, reducing the intensity of hot flashes.
Another body temperature issue, night sweats, are the siblings of hot flashes, though generally not as severe a problem. Night sweats can still be severe enough to interrupt your normal sleep cycle. As with hot flashes, acupuncture can help restore natural temperature control.
Night sweats aren’t the only challenge you may face when it comes to sleep disturbances. You may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Menopausal changes can also make it more difficult to experience a restful sleep cycle, even when you don’t wake. Acupuncture treatment at specific points on the ankle can produce significant sleep improvements.
The effects of acupuncture on improving your sleep cycle can reduce postmenopausal fatigue symptoms. The benefits of blood flow stimulation associated with acupuncture treatments can also relieve fatigue.
Hormone imbalances can affect your emotions and moods. Acupuncture treatments stimulate neuromodulators in the brain to promote improved moods, relaxation, and feelings of well-being.
More serious mental disorders, including anxiety and depression, respond to the same stimulators that improve your mood. Acupuncture is a common complementary treatment for these disorders.
Menopause is often a time of emerging pain stemming from the changes caused by new hormone balances. The analgesic effects of acupuncture are well-known and can help disrupt new pain syndromes that come with menopause.
For many women, changes to the vaginal lining cause a range of problems to both the vagina and the urinary tract. Chief among these is increasing dryness of vaginal walls, leading to uncomfortable or painful sex. The hormone rebalancing effects of acupuncture can limit the effects of reduced estrogen production.
When you need help getting the symptoms of menopause under control, contact Ziyang Zhou, L.Ac., and the team at Pine Mountain Chinese Acupuncture & Herb Clinic. Call or click to schedule your consultation at our Austin office today.
