Are you are seeking treatment for the relief of symptoms associated with menopause?

You may be suffering from a variety of symptoms that may present in a configuration that is unique to you. One of the strengths of acupuncture is in the tailoring of treatment that will be unique to you and your symptoms.

Common signs and symptoms of menopause are hot flushes, night sweats, reduced libido, mood swings, depression, painful intercourse, fibrocystic lumps, osteoporosis, muscle spasm, forgetfulness, heart palpitations, loss of bladder control, frequent urination, joint pains, allergies, high cholesterol, and dizziness.

Although this is a natural stage in a woman’s life, western medicine considers menopause a disease requiring treatment. It is considered this due to the fact that the ovaries stop producing oestrogen, women at this stage will be therefore deficient. What is important to acknowledge and reassuring for women going through menopause, is that the body is no longer preparing to conceive, therefore does not need the same level of oestrogen.

Acupuncture may help reduce symptoms of the menopause and perimenopause by:

{i} regulating serum estradiol, follicle stimulating hormone and luteotrophic hormone (Xia 2008);
(ii) increasing relaxation and reducing tension (Samuels 2008). Acupuncture can alter the brain's mood chemistry, reducing serotonin levels (Zhou 2008) and increasing endorphins (Han, 2004) and neuropeptide Y levels (Lee 2009), which can help to combat negative affective states.
(iii) stimulating nerves located in muscles and other tissues, which leads to release of endorphins and other neurohumoral factors, and changes the processing of pain in the brain and spinal cord (Pomeranz, 1987, Zijlstra 2003, Cheng 2009).