Spring and Summer – The heat’s off hot flushes

By Brendan Meek, B.H.SC TCM; Dip TCM;

A considerable number of women who experience menopause develop symptoms serious enough to seek medical assistance. These symptoms include hot flushes, irritability, anxiety and nervousness. Since these symptoms are chiefly related to estrogen deficiency, the treatment in Western medicine is to administer appropriate levels of estrogen. However, this therapy has its restraints, for protracted estrogen treatment might induce cancerous changes in estrogen-sensitive tissues.

Acupuncture and Chinese medicines should be considered as alternative and effective therapies in the treatment of this syndrome.

Causes and Development of Menopausal Symptoms

Unless brought about by injury, surgery, or chemo¬therapy, the climacteric, also called peri-menopause, usually begins in the mid-forties. Menopause is usually complete by age fifty to fifty-five.

Menopausal syndrome is chiefly related to the decline and imbalance of hormones along with the physiological changes. In addition, psychological factors such as overstress and emotional strain may also be blamed for the occurrence of this syndrome.

Syndrome Diagnosis and Treatment

It is important to remember that menopause is not a dis¬order, but a natural part of life. Nevertheless, it can produce symptoms that range from mildly uncomfortable to extreme¬ly distracting, and that affect each woman differently. Most women experience hot flushes, which generally occur in the first two years. Other symptoms include spontaneous sweat¬ing, heart palpitations, urinary urgency, head and body aches, fatigue, mood swings, nervousness, depressed feel¬ings, deficiencies in concentration and memory, and insom¬nia. Backache and a tendency to back sprain are also common. The skin becomes drier. Sex drive may either increase or decrease.

Because the above symptoms can occur in different combinations of severities and in different body types, the treatment will vary accordingly. Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine treats each person as an individual allowing for more effective outcomes as opposed to a wonder drug which treats all.

Chinese Herbal Medicine, A Naturally Powerful Solution !

The most common conventional treatment for menopausal symptoms is estrogen replacement therapy, in which estrogen and another female hormone, progesterone, are taken in a carefully balanced monthly cycle. This therapy may lower the risk of death from heart disease after several years' use, and greatly reduces the loss of bone due to osteo¬porosis. On the other hand, oral estrogen replacement thera¬pies frequently result in nausea, and because the replace¬ment hormone is processed in the liver, liver damage can result. Estrogen replacement given via vaginal suppositories may cause breast discomfort and bloating. Worst of all, estro-gen replacement therapy is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.

Many women with menopausal symptoms find relief using Chinese Medicine alone. However, Chinese Medicine can be used to supple¬ment estrogen replacement therapy, or estrogen replacement therapy can be used to supplement Chinese Medicine.

Chinese Medicine in Pill form is available at Haberfield Naturopathic Centre after consultation to determine your individually tailored therapeutic approach.

References:
Practical Traditional Chinese Medicine by Prof. Xie Zhu Fan, Foreign Languages Press 2000

The Healing Art of Kampo by Robert Rister, Avery Publishing Group, 1999