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Acupuncture for menopausal symptoms

On this page

  1. Overview
  2. Symptoms
  3. Causes
  4. Treatment
  5. Research

1. Overview

Every woman will have to enter the menopause at some stage in their lives. The age at which they do so, however, will greatly vary from woman to woman.

Women in Japan are less likely to experience menopausal symptoms because of their high consumption of fish and soya in their diet.

2. Symptoms

Symptoms during menopause include irregular periods, high FSH levels, vaginal dryness, hot flushes and night sweats, sleep disturbance, skin and hair problems, weight gain, anxiety and depression. Women experience a lot of these symptoms daily.

In traditional Chinese medicine theory, the menopause is when a woman's yin dramatically reduces in quantity. Eating foods that are high in yin, like the woman in Japan can help reduce menopausal symptoms.

3. Causes

The cause of menopausal symptoms is a lack of oestrogen in a woman's body, because ovulation has stopped. It is the growth of an egg every month that generates and releases oestrogens into thhe body. When a woman's period stops, ovulation stops and the production of ostrogens stop.

4. Treatment for menopausal symptoms

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the most common treatment for menopausal symptoms Other therapies include alternative treatment.

Controlled trials suggests that many women experience a quality of life after having they received acupuncture treatment and isn't a placebo effect. The acupuncture group received real treatment when compared to the control group had reduced hot flushes, proving the effectiveness of acupuncture points.

It is able reduce hot flushes and help menopausal women by reducing other physical symptoms such as

  • Reducing hot flashes and night sweats
  • Regulating energy flow
  • Regulating oestrogen
  • Increasing relaxation and reducing tension. Acupuncture can alter the brain's mood chemistry, reducing serotonin levels, which can help to combat negative affective states
  • Stimulating nerves located in muscles and other tissues and changes the processing of pain in the brain and spinal cord

5. Research into acupuncture for menopause relief

Randomised studies published in BMJ open showed a statistically significant improvement in moderate to severe menopause symptoms.

References

Susan Cohen, Mary Rousseau, and Bonnie Carey. Can Acupuncture Ease the Symptoms of Menopause? Holistic Nursing Practice, Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. Date: Nov 1, 2003.
Tian Huazhang, Zhang Chunyan, The Combined Use of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicines for Treatment of Menopausal Syndrome � A Clinical Report of 63 Cases, Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Volume 28, Issue 1, 2008, Pages 3-5, ISSN 0254-6272, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0254-6272(08)60001-1.
Hongguang Dong, Frank L�dicke, Isabelle Comte, Aldo Campana, Patrick Graff, and Paul Bischof. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Dec 2001.651-658. http://doi.org/10.1089/10755530152755207.
E Borud, S Grimsgaard, A White, Menopausal problems and acupuncture, Autonomic Neuroscience, Volume 157, Issues 1�2, 2010, Pages 57-62, ISSN 1566-0702, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autneu.2010.04.004.
Nancy Avis, Claudine Legault, Remy Coeytaux, et al. A randomized, controlled pilot study of acupuncture treatment for menopausal hot flashes. Menopause, Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. Date: Dec 1, 2008.
Einar Borud, Terje Alraek, Adrian White, et al. The Acupuncture on Hot Flashes Among Menopausal Women study: observational follow-up results at 6 and 12 months. Menopause. Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. Date: Mar 1, 2010.
Liane Venzke, James F. Calvert, Barbara Gilbertson, A randomized trial of acupuncture for vasomotor symptoms in post-menopausal women, Complementary Therapies in Medicine, Volume 18, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 59-66, ISSN 0965-2299, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2010.02.002.
Porzio, G., Trapasso, T., Martelli, S., Sallusti, E., Piccone, C., Mattei, A., � Marchetti, P. (2002). Acupuncture in the Treatment of Menopause-related Symptoms in Women Taking Tamoxifen. Tumori Journal, 88(2), 128�130. https://doi.org/10.1177/030089160208800209.