Can Acupuncture Help Control Menopause Symptoms

Different cultures and nationalities have different methods in treating various illnesses. Something that is interesting to note is that Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Acupuncture are becoming more and more popular in helping to control menopausal symptoms.

Traditional Chinese Medicine views menopause as a time for a woman's body to shut down the natural reproductive cycle in order to conserve her life energy, so that while she ages, she can retain all her resources.

A difference in Eastern culture, in comparison to Western culture, menopause is quite uneventful. The reason it is so different between cultures is that western women live a more fast-paced life, have more stress, and eat a poorer diet, thus exacerbating the symptoms of menopause.

Another believes in Traditional Chinese Medicine is that menopause is not a syndrome, but that the imbalance of hormones is wreaking havoc on the female body.

Acupuncture works through the belief that there are over 2000 acupuncture trigger points in the body. These triggers are all linked together in a group of 20 different pathways. Each pathway is responsible for conducting life force between the surface of the body, and the internal organs. It is believed that once the pathway is able to keep the life force flowing between these links, the body and the mind stay healthy.

Using acupuncture to control menopause symptoms varies from woman to woman. The acupuncturist will access which of the symptoms of menopause the woman is suffering from and then use the pathways to relieve her symptoms. Only certain pathways are used to relieve the individual symptoms a woman is experiencing. Every menopausal woman is treated as unique based on her symptoms.

Acupuncture is administered by the use of thin, solid needles that are inserted in targeted trigger points. The purpose of the needle is to help stimulate the pathways to encourage life force production. This could be done by placing the needles to the shoulders, arms, legs, and even the feet. When the needles are inserted correctly, there should be no pain, or bleeding, however, you may experience a slight tingling, or numbness that dissipates quickly. Treatment is known to be very relaxing and usually lasts about thirty minutes. It is also wise to remember that each woman and her symptoms are different. Using acupuncture as a means of treatment is usually a long, ongoing therapy. You may feel the effects right away or it may take months for you to feel the advantages of using acupuncture to treat your symptoms.

If you plan on using acupuncture to treat your symptoms of menopause, make sure that you visit a licensed acupuncture therapist to determine the most realistic, and productive course needed to treat your symptoms.

Can acupuncture help relieve the symptoms of Menopause? Yes, it can. It has been proven to relieve symptoms of hot flashes, insomnia, vaginal dryness, stress, and anxiety.

As with any treatment, make sure you research every method available and speak to your physician to make sure that you are getting all the treatment needed to maintain your hormonal imbalance during the transition of menopause.

Menopausal Symptoms

All women are different and as a result, may display menopausal symptoms over a relatively short time span, or for ten years or more. As a general rule of thumb, some have suggested that a woman's mother can be a benchmark to help determine one's own menopause symptom time line. Having noted this, sisters often display wildly varying symptoms, both in overall length and individual bout severity.

Menopausal symptoms are naturally occurring biological events and part of the natural progression in every woman's life that comes with age. Knowledge of menopausal symptoms in advance will help to ease the transition period. In itself, knowledge will not ease menopausal symptoms but will help to prepare one mentally for the ordeal. Knowledge can help to make one aware of and implement changes to diet and exercise, as well as appropriate treatment plans in advance of the onset of menopausal symptoms.

Individual menopausal symptoms are frequently categorized as either mild, moderate, severe, or very severe. About 15% of American and European women display symptoms in the very severe category.

Fortunately, a significant percentage of women only endure mild to moderate symptoms. Many women elect to control these symptoms themselves without resorting to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or bio-identicals. Knowledge of menopausal symptom triggers or catalysts, coupled with specifically designed diet and exercise plans and an attuned vitamin and mineral regimen can go a long way to ameliorating menopausal symptoms.

Early changes to diet and exercise are especially important. One of the chronic manifestations associated with menopause is weight gain, especially around the middle. Research indicates that belly fat (as it is sometimes unflatteringly referred to) is one of the more common menopausal symptoms and directly linked to decreased oestrogen levels and hormone imbalance.

Early modification of diet and exercise can help to abate weight gain around the waist in post menopausal women. This is significant for a number of health related reasons. Women who gain weight above the hips are put at greater risk of developing heart disease and certain types of cancer. Pre menopausal women frequently have a problem with weight gain in the hips, thighs, and buttocks. However, following menopause weight gain frequently shifts to the waist. Again, this shift has been directly attributed to decreased oestrogen levels and hormonal imbalances.

Maintaining the same waist measurements as prior to the onset of menopause is difficult if one is unfortunate enough to display another common menopausal symptom - menopausal food and/or beverage cravings.

Menopausal food and beverage cravings are especially insidious as they tend to override one's own natural inclination to limit or avoid personal food or beverage favorites. Menopause food and beverage cravings are directly related to hormone changes and reduced oestrogen levels. Women experiencing these cravings may feel as though they have little or no control over these guilty pleasure indulgences. If a more than 5% weight gain can be attributed to menopausal food cravings corrective measures should be considered.

Hot flashes and night sweats are most likely the most common menopausal symptoms. Hot flashes and night sweats can vary in bout length and severity depending on the individual woman. Unless intervening action is taken, hot flashes and night sweats may increase (following the onslaught of menopause) as oestrogen levels continue to decrease.

Hot flashes and night sweats can be partially negated with the application of appropriate lightweight clothing and bedding. Layers are better than single heavy layers. Wicking wear has come a long way in the past decade as new non-absorbent fabrics have become available to manufacturers.

Hot flashes and night sweats are the most immediately irritating of menopausal symptoms. Hot flashes have been described as a warm to hot internal burning sensation that builds quickly to intensity in the face, neck, and upper chest area. Individual bouts can last for upward to 20 minutes and can be displayed as frequently as every one to two hours.

Night sweats can be even more debilitating long term as they can adversely affect sleep patterns. Women experiencing moderate to severe night sweats find it very difficult to get a full, restful night's sleep. A minimum of six to eight hours of uninterrupted REM sleep is necessary to achieve a good night's sleep. Waking up every hour to two hours with night sweat bouts is not conducive to this process. Hot flashes and night sweats have been directly linked to hormone imbalance and reduced oestrogen levels.

Other common menopause symptoms include irregular periods, loss of or decreased libido, vaginal dryness, fatigue, hair loss (or gain), sleep disorders, difficulty concentrating, memory loss or lapses, dizziness, incontinence, bloating, increased allergy sensitivity, brittle or easily broken fingernails, changes in body odor, racing heart beat, depression, anxiety, irritability, panic attacks, breast tenderness, migraines, aching joints, burning sensation in mouth or tongue or bad taste in the mouth, electric shocks, digestive irregularities, gum problems, bleeding gums, muscle tensions, itchy skin, and tingling extremities.

Natural Menopause Relief Secrets - 4 Natural Remedies For Menopause Symptoms

It should be understood that menopause is not a disease. Menopause is only a stage in the life cycle of a woman. Too many women, who are going through menopause, bear this in mind. Your body is beautiful. Everything, every creature is beautiful. Menopause can be a liberating experience, and I know of many menopausal women who are happy and are enjoying it. What you need is an understanding of yourself and a stronger faith in God.

The secret to living an enjoyable and meaningful life after menopause is to take care of the body early in life. Women and everyone in general should take care of their bodies early in life so that it can serve us better at age.

Some of the natural remedies to the symptoms of menopause are as follows:

Water
Water is natural but does more work in the body than many know. The importance of water for proper functioning of the body cannot be over emphasized. Early in the morning, on rising from bed, drink three to four cups of water. It is not enough to do this for a month or two. Make it a habit. If you are able to do this continually for a year, you will see what a transformation will come upon your body. The young women should keep this in mind rather than wait until old age sets in. As for those nearing menopause, water is a great help. If you take water adequately as described above, you will soon notice a reduction in hot flashes and internal heat.

Take Bitter Leaf
Bitter leaf is one of the best woman friendly plants. It is good for the body either before, during or after menopause. Bitter leaf takes care of such symptoms as hot flashes, internal heat and rheumatism. With bitter leaf around, women do not need to take artificial oestrogen which in any case has its own negative side effects. Bitter leaf does not supply oestrogen but helps the body to produce the amount of oestrogen needed for life. Squeezing the fresh leaves of bitter leaf in water and taking a glass every morning and night is advisable. This is not only good for those who are already experiencing the symptoms of menopause and those who have attained menopause. The use of bitter leaf has proven to be one of the best reliefs for menopause.

Take Honey
Menopausal women should take plenty of honey. A lot has been said about honey. Those who take honey regularly will remain fresh, healthy and strong till old age. They will go through menopause without falling victims of the symptoms. Mix four desert spoons of honey with half glass of water and drink twice daily.

The Use of Wonder Tincture
Wonder tincture is another effective natural preparation that eases the symptoms of menopause.

Menopause Treatments - Holistic Treatment As Alternative to Conventional Treatment

Menopause symptoms are difficult to deal with that is why women are constantly trying to find ways to cure these symptoms. The conventional treatment of menopause symptoms is through HRT or Hormone Replacement Therapy while the alternative treatment is through the holistic approach or holistic treatment. Other menopause treatments are still being studied and hopefully in the future, there would be a lot of credible results that can help women in their quest of curing the menopausal symptoms.

Usually, the menopausal age starts at the age of 51 years old. But younger women who are in their 20's and 30's are already experiencing some of the menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. They're already experiencing these symptoms due to the presence of Zenoestrogens, their constant exposure to new toxins and their genetic predispositions.

Night sweats and hot flashes are the result of varying levels of estrogen and the balancing of a woman's hormones. When the ovaries shrink and the level of the estrogen in the woman's body varies, the body's reaction is to increase its temperature and sweat to cool the skin. The sweating is usually severe at night, thus having the name "night sweats".

Modern medicine explores the holistic treatment for menopause because modern medicine is open to new approach that could help treat the symptoms of menopause.

Studies are being made regarding the holistic treatment and what it could contribute to the menopausal symptoms. It should be noted that not all plant-based alternatives are being studied. Some plant-based alternatives that were studied yielded positive results and are proven to be safe and effective while some alternatives are still being researched.

The holistic treatment of menopausal symptoms can be as effective as the HRT, but the actual shifting from using HRT to the holistic treatment is difficult to attain because there are still a lot of people who are not convinced about the effectiveness of the holistic treatment. Some people are still having doubts about shifting from HRT to the holistic treatment because not even one credible personality or group is publicly endorsing the product saying "yes, it is safe and effective".

Extensive research should be done to point out which holistic treatment is effective and which is not because not all holistic treatments are effective.

The only way to see if the holistic approach is effective is by doing trial and error, personal research, reading available researches and its results, recommendations from trustworthy people, and having a money-back guarantee from the manufacturers.

The US government is implementing new laws to protect the people. They are requiring manufacturers to put labels, expiration dates and have at least one of its active ingredients to be tested in the laboratory.

Menopause treatments are a great help to women who are undergoing menopause because the symptoms are difficult to deal with and women are greatly affected by it.

Menopause Symptoms - Natural Remedies and Treatment

Menopause is a normal phase in every woman's life. It is caused by the fact that ovulation does not occur anymore and as a consequence, menstruation stops. This of course implies the fact that a bunch of hormonal changes take place. They begin long before the first menopause symptoms are being felt because the body prepares well in advance. Menopause symptoms are not the same in all women, but they can differ greatly from one woman to another depending on various factors and individual characteristics. The age at which menopause occurs also varies from woman to woman.

The first menopause symptoms are usually experienced at around 51 years, but there are women experiencing a much earlier or late menopause. Lower estrogen levels in the body lead to a bunch of symptoms and to changes in the way a woman looks. The skin and the hair condition might not be as good as they used to be. Besides this, there are also other menopause symptoms that a woman in menopause will experience. Some of them are easier to cope with, others are more difficult. Here's a list with the most common menopause symptoms, but it is not compulsory that all of them are experienced at once or by every women. Some women might not have at all certain symptoms.

1. Hot flashes - Some women feel extremely hot, while others extremely cold at normal temperature levels. Night sweats are also common.

2. Vaginal dryness that can cause pain during lovemaking.

3. Sleep problems.

4. Bladder problems - Frequent infections, urinary incontinence.

5. Irritability, depression, anxiety, loss of sexual appetite, mood swings, etc.

Menopause can be dealt with using natural remedies that usually don't have any side effects. They provide relief and make the woman's life easier. However, some herbs might interact with prescribed medication, so it might be best to ask for medical advice. The following are efficient natural remedies against menopause symptoms.

1. Foods with high content of estrogen: cabbage, corn, apples, cucumbers, peas, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, soy, sesame seeds, olives and olive oil.

2. Black cohosh - It ameliorates all the menopause symptoms.

3. St John's Wort - It is recommended for irritability and mood swings.

4. Flaxseed oil - Reduces hot flashes and pain in the chest area.

5. Natural creams and lotions made out of essential oils in order to reduce dryness of the skin or vaginal dryness. For instance, one ounce of almond oil mixed with no more than two drops of geranium oil and with a capsule of vitamin E makes a perfect lotion against vaginal dryness.

6. Adequate diet that will provide plenty of vitamins and minerals.

Menopause Symptoms and Perimenopause - Causes, Treatment and Relief

Menopause Symptoms are one of the most commonly found healthcare issues among women across the world. It is believed that in most nations, irrespective of their socio-economic conditions or ethnical differences, more than 50% women are likely to be suffering from some form of menopausal condition at any time. There is no defined age when these indications can arise. However, their onset is usually in the early 40s where general guidelines suggest that a woman officially enters the menopausal phase past 45 years. These symptoms begin during the perimenopause period. This is the time when menopausal indications become more regular and the female's body is slowly shaping towards menopause which essentially means a decreased ability to conceive and faster aging due to significant dip in the concentration of progesterone and estrogen. These are the two, primary female hormones and when their levels start falling, the overall health of a woman is affected, including her ability to procreate, reproduce and retain youthfulness apart from her psychological composure.

Understand Common Menopause Symptoms:

1. Menstrual Irregularities

This problem can arise in the form of heavy periods, delayed periods or painful periods. Dipping volumes of estrogen are the primary cause for this. It is perhaps the most common and yet, the most confusing of all symptoms. This is because menstrual irregularities can arise due to a wide range of reasons. This includes stressful lifestyles, exposure to environmental pollutants, smoking, drug/alcohol abuse or the overuse of birth control pills. Even obesity and conditions like PCOS can cause menstrual cramping and bleeding apart from inducing absence of menses in some women. Some females are prone to having untimely periods from their teenage years. As a result, it is usually very hard to diagnose menopausal progression based upon this symptom alone. Thus, other indications listed below are cross-checked.


2. Hot Flashes

Also referred to as temperature flushes or cold flushes, these are a typical symptom of women gradually progressing towards menopause. These are essentially sensations of sudden warmth that rushes through the body for a moment. This is often followed by a similar surge of coldness in the face or upper back. These temperature flushes are a result of rapid fluctuations in the hormonal system. Decreasing estrogen levels are believed to induce hot flashes.


3. Night Sweating

Night sweating occurs in the late evenings or night while hot flashes are more likely to happen during the daytime. However, night sweats can be more intense and discomforting, hampering sleep. This is a state of extreme precipitation, often accompanied by some degree of anxiety, during the night.


4. Lowered Libido Levels

Menopause is medically referred to as the body's way of indicating that the woman is now past her prime of sexual and reproductive health. This also includes the psychological part of sex. Lowered libido refers to a decreased liking for sexual activities, physically and mentally. The patient might not be aroused in the manner before and might complain about decreasing sexual desire.


5. Extreme Mood Fluctuations

Women are prone to suffering from hormonal mood fluctuations. However, with the onset of menopausal bodily changes, the mood swings become increasingly pronounced and intense. This includes sudden onset of bouts of crying, anxiety, depression, happiness or a fatigued feeling. In extreme cases, the condition might seem akin to a psychological disorder.


6. Vaginal Dryness

Along with falling libido levels, the compromised sexual health of the female is further impaired with physical deterrents to sexual activities such as vaginal dryness. With estrogen levels falling appreciably, the vaginal tissues start losing their flexibility, becoming increasingly dry. This makes intercourse painful along with making the entire area irritating and itchy. With increased dryness, the incidence of vaginal infections is also raised.

Infertility: A Quick Natural Solution

Infertility and early menopausal symptoms (or the sudden absence of your period) can be due to some form of hormonal imbalance. For example, your estrogen vs progesterone levels can be out of sink and ovulation can be halted because of it. Without ovulation, of course, you cannot be fertile. This may well be OK with you, but a healthy production of estrogen (and progesterone in the 2nd part of the menstrual cycle) are very important for women and provide a natural protection against an array of diseases.

If you find you are infertile and your periods are missing, and you are too young to be 'accepting' menopause as a natural stage (roughly speaking menopausal symptoms usually begin in the late forties or early fifties), you may want to carry out some tests to make sure you know the cause of these problems. But when you know you are only suffering from some form of hormonal imbalances, or you are deficient in ovulation-stimulating hormones (for example), you will be faced with a few choices: pharmaceutical treatments and natural alternatives; I was very impressed at how, a simple homeopathic treatment immediately restored my menstrual cycle when no other supplement (including Vitex) could.

If you are infertile but still have a menstrual cycle, a homeopath may prescribe Folliculinum 3x once or twice a day, depending on your specific condition, to be taken on the 1st day of your period for 14 days. If you do not have a menstrual cycle, start any day and take it for 14 days.

After that, on the 15th day, you may be prescribed either (Homeopathic) Progesterone (3x or 6c, depending on your specific symptoms) once a day or Sepia (30c) once a day, for 14 days, thus imitating the menstrual cycle (14 days of estrogen-based 'stimulation' + 14 days of progesterone-based stimulation [or, in the case of Sepia, rectifying other imbalances if your physical condition so require] = 28 days).

In my case only after a few soft tablets of folliculinum 3x, I immediately started to ovulate and, from that point onwards, my whole menstrual cycle was restored. I was delighted that something so simple made such a difference in my life.

At the same time, not only did I restore my menstrual cycle and forgot all about some unexplained early menopause (ridiculously early!), but my skin, hair and overall body looked and felt better.

Homeopathic remedies come in many dosages; understanding the right dose is essential for an effective treatment. If you use the wrong dose, your treatment will not work.