Acupuncture For Menopause – What You Need to Know
Menopause marks the end of a woman’s time with a menstrual cycle in their life. A woman is said to have entered menopause if she has gone 12 months without a menstrual period. Other common menopause symptoms include night sweats, sleep problems, mood changes, hot flashes, and vaginal dryness. The average age for menopause is about 51 years old, in the United States.
Several studies have found that menopausal symptoms can widely affect a woman’s quality of life. Women undergoing the menopausal transition have difficulty concentrating, making them feel extremely uncomfortable and sick. Women going experiencing long bouts of menopausal symptoms can begin to feel exhausted and often begin looking for efforts to help them manage the symptoms.
Studies show that acupuncture for fertility in Santa Rosa can help menopause symptoms. The ancient Chinese medical technique involves inserting thin needles through the skin at strategic points on the body to heal energy blockages.
Acupuncture may help manage the following menopause symptoms.
- Hot Flashes: Hot flashes and night sweats occur due to hormonal imbalance. Acupuncture can treat hormonal imbalances. Some foods can cause hot flashes or make them worse. Acupuncturists offer nutritional counseling to patients experiencing hot flashes, helping them make their diet healthier.
- Pain: Joint and spine pain are common symptoms of menopause. Acupuncture can relieve pain by stimulating the central nervous system to produce feel-good hormones such as endorphins, serotonin, and oxytocin.
- Vaginal Dryness: Hormonal imbalances during menopause can reduce the secretion of natural fluid in the vagina, leading to vaginal dryness. Acupuncture can help stimulate the release of neurochemicals that can correct hormonal imbalances.
- Mood Swings: It is easy for a woman to feel more irritable when her hormones are out of whack. A 2013 study found that acupuncture can alter neurotransmitters in the brain, helping manage mood swings.
- Insomnia: Acupuncture promotes sleep by calming the mind, increasing relaxation, and decreasing stress. Some studies have found that it can increase melatonin production, a hormone that plays a role in the sleep-wake cycle. Research also suggests acupuncture can enhance blood flow to certain sleep-inducing brain regions.
- Fatigue: Acupuncture may help reduce blood pressure and increase blood flow to the heart to reduce fatigue-inducing stress on it.
At Acupuncture Mama, we use different Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques to help alleviate the wide range of menopausal symptoms many women face. Using their years of expertise and practice, our acupuncturists take a wholistic approach to women’s health. To learn more, call (707) 303-7200.