Menopause
While every woman has a different experience of menopause, most will experience the side effects of decreased estrogen and progesterone between ages 40 and 60. Three stages occur during this time: Perimenopause, typically between 40 and 50, describes the time leading up to Menopause, Menopause, and Postmenopause, the time following 12 months of no menstrual period. With a multitude of symptoms occurring at all stages, many women may feel frustration or difficulty managing these changes and seek natural menopause relief. Traditional Chinese Medicine, including acupuncture for menopause and supplemental herbs, provides highly effective, hormone-free relief from discomfort associated with all stages and symptoms of menopause.
At TCRA, we specialize in all women’s health and offer treatment in a serene and inviting environment.
Symptoms We Treat
- Hot Flashes
- Breast Pain
- Depression
- Night Sweats
- Joint Pain
- Anxiety
- Headaches
- Muscle Tension
- Irritability
- Loss of Libido
- Irregular Heartbeat
- Incontinence
- Memory Lapses
- Vaginal Dryness
- Itchy Skin
- Mood Changes
- Bloating
- Sleep Disorders
- Dizziness
- Digestive Issues
- Fatigue
- Panic Disorders
- Weight Gain
- Difficulty Concentrating
Finding menopause relief is fast and easy! Call TCRA to book an initial appointment with any of our board-certified acupuncturists, all specializing in women’s health, menopause, and acupuncture. The initial appointment consists of a consultation with your acupuncturist, a chance for us to get to know you and address your questions and concerns, followed by your first treatment which lasts about 30 minutes. After your consultation and treatment, we will provide you with a natural menopause treatment plan for follow up visits. Most patients will start to see improvements in their symptoms after the first week of treatments. A course of treatment for menopause usually lasts 6 to 8 weeks. Most patients find treatments to be extremely relaxing and will begin to feel relief after the first visit!
Research
An efficacious and hormone-free treatment for menopausal symptoms, acupuncture has been well demonstrated to be effective at treating a wide variety of symptoms relating to menopause. Acupuncture for menopause has been used for over 2000 years for the treatment of all menopause symptoms. For more information on the clinical efficacy of acupuncture as treatment for symptoms related to menopause, please see the links below:
Acupuncture versus Venlafaxine for the management of vasomotor symptoms in patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial.
J Clin Oncol. 2010 Apr 20;28(12):1979-81. Walker EM, Rodriguez AI, Kohn B, Ball RM, Pegg J, Pocock JR, Nunez R, Peterson E, Jakary S, Levine RA.
Fifty patients were randomly assigned to receive 12 weeks of acupuncture or venlafaxine and measured up to 1 year post-treatment. The acupuncture group not only experienced increased sex drive, improvement in energy and well being, but also had low levels of hot flashes by 2 weeks post-treatment. In conclusion, acupuncture is a safe, effective and durable treatment for vasomotor symptoms.
Effects of acupuncture on hot flashes in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women -- a multicenter randomized clinical trial.
Menopause. 2010 Mar;17(2):269-80. Kim KH, Kang KW, Kim DI, Kim HJ, Yoon HM, Lee JM, Jeong JC, Lee MS, Jung HJ, Choi SM
Women suffering high volume and frequency of hot flashes were treated in one of two groups: a control group where symptoms were treated with usual care and a treatment group using acupuncture in addition to the usual care. Unlike the control group, the group undergoing acupuncture in conjunction with usual care had significant clinical improvement in hot flashes and menopause-related symptoms in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
The Acupuncture on Hot Flushes Among Menopausal Women (ACUFLASH) study, a randomized controlled trial.
Menopause. 2009 May-Jun;16(3):484-93. Borud EK, Alraek T, White A, Fonnebo V, Eggen AE, Hammar M, Astrand LL, Theodorsson E, Grimsgaard S.
One group of postmenopausal women experiencing daily hot flashes was given 10 acupuncture sessions and a control group used self-care alone. The acupuncture group not only saw a greater decrease in frequency and intensity of hot flashes, but also improvements in sleep, vasomotor and somatic symptoms.
Moxibustion for treating menopausal hot flashes: a randomized clinical trial.
Menopause. 2009 Jul-Aug;16(4):660-5 Park JE, Lee MS, Jung S, Kim A, Kang K, Choi J, Park J, Choi SM
After receiving 14 sessions of moxibustion treatment at acupuncture points, statistically significant improvement was seen in the menopausal-specific quality of life in comparison to the control group who had no treatment. Moxibustion, in conclusion, reduces both the frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes.
Effects of acupuncture, applied relaxation, estrogens and placebo on hot flushes in postmenopausal women: an analysis of two prospective, parallel, randomized studies.
Climacteric. 2007 Feb;10(1):38-45.Zaborowska E, Brynhildsen J, Damberg S, Fredriksson M, Lindh-Astrand L, Nedstrand E, Wyon Y, Hammar .
In a randomized trial, women received either acupuncture and applied relaxation, oral estrogens or a placebo. At weeks 4 and 12, hot flushes decreased significantly among women receiving all treatments other than the placebo. Acupuncture and applied relaxation were thus evaluated as an alternative to hormone therapy in women with menopausal vasomotor complaints.
A randomized controlled pilot study of acupuncture for postmenopausal hot flashes: effect on nocturnal hot flashes and sleep quality.
Fertil Steril. 2006 Sep;86(3):700-10.Huang MI, Nir Y, Chen B, Schnyer R, Manber R.
In this study, nocturnal hot-flash severity significantly decreased in the active acupuncture group compared with the placebo group. The decrease hot flashes due to acupuncture also correlated with improvement in sleep.
Vasomotor symptoms decrease in women with breast cancer randomized to treatment with applied relaxation or electro-acupuncture: a preliminary study.
Climacteric. 2005 Sep;8(3):243-50.Nedstrand E, Wijma K, Wyon Y, Hammar M.
Postmenopausal women with breast cancer and vasomotor symptoms were treated with applied relaxation or electro-acupuncture for 12 weeks. Significant reductions in hot flushes were seen in both groups and remained reduced 6 months after the end of treatment suggesting both applied relaxation and electro-acupuncture as treatments for menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women with breast cancer.
Acupuncture in the treatment of menopause-related symptoms in women taking tamoxifen.
Tumori. 2002 Mar-Apr;88(2):128-30Porzio G, Trapasso T, Martelli S, Sallusti E, Piccone C, Mattei A, Di Stanislao C, Ficorella C, Marchetti P.
Tamoxifen-treated patients were treated according to traditional Chinese medicine with acupuncture for menopausal symptoms. Anxiety, depression, somatic and vasomotor symptoms were improved by the treatments in women with previous breast cancer taking tamoxifen.
Acupuncture against climacteric disorders? Lower number of symptoms after menopause.
Lakartidningen. 1994 Jun 8;91(23):2318-22.Wyon Y, Lindgren R, Hammar M, Lundeberg T.
Healthy women with natural menopausal symptoms, suffering from hot flushes, received either electrostimulated acupuncture or superficial needle position. While both groups recorded a significant decrease in flushes, the superficial needle position group experienced an increase in symptoms over the three months after treatment. The electrostimulated acupuncture group showed significant decrease in hot flushes that remained evident at the three-month follow-up.