Menopause

Acupuncture, herbal formulas and Traditional Chinese Medicine have been used for thousands of years for the treatment of menopause, including symptoms of hot flashes, night sweats, loss of bone density, heart palpitations, weight gain, mood swings, decreased sexual drive, and so on. Western studies have shown that Acupuncture and herbs can help balance hormones, easing the symptoms of menopause.

It is not accurate to say that women in Asia do not have symptoms of menopause, but their symptoms are less frequent and less severe than women in both North America and Europe. Genes, diet, lifestyle, and the regular inclusion of Traditional Chinese Medicine may all play a role in reducing the incidence and severity of menopausal symptoms.

The following study outlines how acupuncture may help to alleviate the underlying cause of hot flashes:

Researchers found seven weeks of acupuncture treatment reduced the severity of nighttime hot flashes by twenty-eight percent among menopausal women compared with a six percent decrease among women who had a sham (placebo) acupuncture treatment. Researchers compared the effects of acupuncture and placebo acupuncture treatment on the severity and frequency of nighttime hot flashes. Twenty-nine menopausal women experiencing at least seven moderate to severe hot flashes per day. took part in the study All of the women underwent nine treatments from trained acupuncturists in sessions over seven weeks. Twelve of the women received real acupuncture using points selected to target hot flashes and sleepiness. The rest of the women received a sham acupuncture treatment using non-penetrating needles at random acupuncture channel points. Throughout the study, the women reported the number and severity of their hot flashes. The results showed that nighttime hot flash severity decreased significantly (28 percent) among the women who received acupuncture versus. a 6 percent drop among the women who got the sham treatment. However, they did not see a similar finding in the frequency of nighttime hot flashes between the two groups. Researcher Mary Huang, M.S., of Stanford University, and colleagues say the results suggest acupuncture deserves further study as an alternative treatment for menopausal hot flashes. The findings are published in the September issue of Fertility and Sterility. SOURCE: Huang, M. Fertility and Sterility, September 2006; Vol. 86: pp. 700-710. News release, American Society of Reproductive Medicine.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has been used to prevent and treat various bone density disorders, including Osteoporosis and Osteopenia. Western medicine convention is to prescribe Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and pharmaceuticals such as Fosamax for the prevention and/or treatment of osteoporosis. The side effects alone are often a reason not to follow this course of therapy. In addition, HRT and other harsh pharmaceuticals often do not achieve the results sought after in any event.

A more natural method to choose for the treatment of osteoporosis and osteopenia is Traditional Chinese Medicine. There are no side effects and the results are beginning to be proven in conventional western studies around the world.

The following studies provide a brief overview of the treatment of bone density disorders using TCM.

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