"That" part of the Journey: Can Menopause Be Easier
If you’re anything like me, when you were in your late teens and early 20s, you couldn’t wait for the frustration to be over. Uncomfortable pads, leaking, cramping and all those things, you’d think it’d be a great thing the day you finish up with all that!
If you’ve started on “that” part of the life journey, there are a lot of things you probably didn’t quite anticipate.
Common peri/menopausal symptoms include:
Hot flushes
Feeling hot all the time
Insomnia
Feeling irritable, flat or anxious
Low sex drive
Dryness
Can Acupuncture and Herbs Help?
Let’s be real. We can’t just build a bridge and bypass Menopause, much as for some of us it would make things a lot easier. But despite the fact that some women have a smoother ride than others, there is one thing we can encourage all women with.
Luckily, Chinese Medicine has been helping women with Menopause since ancient times!
Show me the Research!
This 2019 review of current research found Chinese Herbal Medicine was safe and able to improve Menopausal hot flush symptoms.
This 2018 review of current research found Acupuncture to be effective in reducing Vasomotor symptoms (hot flushes) in Menopausal women.
This 2016 review of current research found "Acupuncture is associated with a significant reduction of Menopause related sleep disturbances"
What Other Options Do I Have?
It might seem a bit obvious, but if you’re experiencing feelings of heat, hot flushes, dryness or irritability, the best thing you can do is not add to those feelings!
Try out our 6-steps plan to help manage your body’s temperature.
Drink plenty of water. 2+L of water or 33mls per kg is what's needed, more if you're active or it's summer. Long term chronic dehydration will not only make any dry symptoms worse but will also affect your kidneys long term - yikes!
Avoid or drastically reduce alcohol - this makes you hotter by increasing your vasomotor symptoms - aka hot flushes!
Avoid spicy food - for the same reasons as alcohol
Get your iron & thyroid levels checked. Deficiencies or imbalances can affect your hormones and make symptoms worse.
Have good sleep. Go to bed well before midnight, get more than 7 hours of sleep. Consider magnesium in addition to Acupuncture. Good sleep makes for smoother hormonal changes.
Set aside time to think about what you want for the next phase of your life. Menopause is referred to as a change of life for a reason. Re-evaluate what's working and what's not. Decide how you'd like your days and life to look like - it's your time to feel great!
It makes us both so happy to support women of all ages and all parts of their hormonal journey. Our goal is to have our clients feeling as healthy and nourished as possible and to have their bodies working as well as possible.
If you’d also like some beautiful, relaxing Acupuncture, come visit us. Get in touch or book an appointment.