For most women, menopause occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, when the production of female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) begins to decline. These hormonal changes can cause any number of the following to occur: irregular periods, hot flashes, mood changes, forgetfulness, cardiovascular disease.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Kidney is the organ responsible for growth, maturation and aging. Therefore, the fundamental changes that occur during menopause can be attributed to Kidney deficiency, and Kidney deficiency is the universal diagnosis among all women with menopause. TCM offers a gentle yet effective way to address menopause and related conditions.
Most importantly, herbs are gentle on the body and safer than current allopathic options. While western medicine claims that more time is necessary to determine how menopause can best be treated, Chinese herbal medicine (that has already been time-tested for over 3,000 years) prevails to ensure optimal quality of life in those who are reaching their golden years.
Menopausal women are encouraged to consume a diet with a high content of raw foods, fruits and vegetables to stabilize blood sugar. The Asian diet may contain qualities that modulate estrogen responses, and strong evidence indicates that how the body handles estrogen is far more important than how much estrogen it handles.
Researchers have extensively investigated three aspects of an Asian diet advantage: soy, vegetables, and green tea. Each is associated with a dramatically lower risk of breast cancer. Soy contains isoflavones that neutralize "strong" estrogens, converting them to estrogen metabolites that protect against breast cancers. Some key foods of the western diet may actually promote hot flashes and aggravate mood swings and should be avoided such as: dairy products, red meats, alcohol, sugar, spicy foods, caffeine.
It is worth noting that stress, tension and anxiety (all prevalent qualities of the Western lifestyle) should also be avoided by menopausal women as much as possible.
Overall, menopause is not a disease. It is a normal process of life that can be disturbing and discomforting. Even so, a woman can choose to restore and build her health. Traditional Chinese Medicine offers a natural way to do this through the use of acupuncture, acupressure, herbal remedies and diet.
Dr. Gao is a Colorado and California licensed Acupuncturist and is also nationally certified to practice Acupuncture. She is an instructor at the Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as a member of Divine Physics' Integrative Health Care Team.
