Acupuncture for a Happy, Healthy, Easy Menopause

Check out our latest article in The Meath Coaster Magazine, January 2013 issue; Acupuncture for a Happy, Healthy, Easy Menopause!

Menopause is one of the key stages in a woman’s life when she moves out of her childbearing years. It is a challenging time where women have to adapt to their changing body and not everyone finds it a positive experience.

The physical symptoms and the emotional mood swings that come with menopause can be so severe, to the point of having an unhealthy impact in a woman’s life and greatly affect the way she feels about herself.

The hormonal changes that happen at this time of transition produce many different symptoms. Physical symptoms include hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances and sometimes insomnia, headaches, fatigue, loss of libido and vaginal dryness.

Mental and emotional symptoms include depression, moods swings, irritability and anxiety.

Some women will experience mild symptoms for a few weeks or months while others will experience severe symptoms for as long as 5 or even 10 years.

Conventional medical treatment focuses on replacing lost hormones with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and treating women for depression. When it comes to HRT research indicates caution and most GPs now prescribe it for 5 years only. HRT is not without side effects and comes with an increased risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Menopause is an area in which Chinese Medicine shines. Acupuncture has the ability to regulate hormonal changes that happen in the body and quickly relieve symptoms like hot flushes, foggy mind and irritability.

Treatments focus on stimulating the endocrine system, promoting elimination and fluid balance, boosting the immune system, relieving stress, promoting emotional balance and boosting self-esteem. Within 3 or 4 treatments, women who used to have to wake up with their nightie drenched in sweat report virtually no sweat, full night’s sleep, better energy levels, no more palpitations, better moods, relief from pain in the joints and more importantly “feeling themselves again”.

Acupuncture can balance hormones for menopause in the same way that it can balance hormones to allow pregnancy. The same recommendations for fertility patients apply for menopausal patients: keep your work/life balance in check, get out and get some exercise, eat a balanced diet and take a good quality multivitamins and minerals supplement.

Food is medicine and nutrition plays a key part in your wellbeing. The right diet will support the endocrine system and help relieve menopausal symptoms.

As acupuncturists, we do not see menopause as a disease that needs to be cured but as a natural process and we strongly recommend the gentle balancing power of acupuncture at this special time in your life.

We want you to move forward in this new phase of life and want to bring you a happy, healthy and easy menopause.

We are always happy to take the time to answer queries, please do not hesitate to contact Sabine, Niamh or Sharon for a confidential chat

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