According to the ancient Chinese medical text, The Spiritual Pivot women’s aging process transpires in cycles of 7, from age 7 through 49. Signaling the onset of fertility, menarche occurs when girls are about 14 years old. Ages 21 and 28 see the potential for fertility flourishing. There is a subtle shift in hormone balance that starts approximately at age 35. At 42, women may begin to have subtle changes in their menstrual patterns. This is not exactly “perimenopause”, just the subtle beginning of the process leaving the fertile years behind. When a woman has gone one year without a period, she is officially in menopause.
Menopause is a process rather than event. Just as the shift from childhood into adulthood takes several years, the change from childbearing years to a postmenopausal state takes time. Most females experience some degree of discomfort during adolescence. In this way, menopause is no different. It is a natural process of development which can have moments of pain, bewilderment, uncertainty and identity crisis.
The base concept of Oriental medicine can be summed up with the phrase “Support the Normal”. In essence, Oriental medicine has the capacity to support our basic life force, including the urge to grow and develop. This paradigm is quite different than the Western practice of prescribing medications to correct symptoms. Menopause is a normal and natural process and Oriental medicine has specific tools to promote health and sustain wellness during this time.
I invite you to take a view of menopause that is quite different from the cultural norm. Menopause is the shift from living in the potential to generate and support new life to focusing on yourself. Now, you get to keep the blood and energy you let go in service of being fertile each month for many years. Rather than a failure, surrender or a signal that you are “used up, no longer sexy, and old”, menopause can be the beginning a new phase of life with YOU at the center.
The road from monthly cycling to menstrual cessation can be a rocky road. Common issues include:
- Irregular menses (a common pattern is an increase in menstrual frequency before your perio
ds decreases) - Heavy bleeding which may be hormonally based or can be induced by uterine fibroids or polyps
- Mood changes such as: depression, anxiety and irritability
- Hot flashes which can manifest solely at night or throughout the day
- Night sweats-though hot flashes can create excess sweating during the day
- The exacerbation of all inflammatory conditions
- Insomnia
- Pain with intercourse and/or urination due to vaginal wall thinning and inflammation
- Adrenal fatigue
Patients often come to me when their menopausal symptoms interfere with their lives and their relationships. They are ready for a change! Oriental medicine offers therapies beyond symptom control. Acupuncture, herbal formulas, diet and lifestyle adjustments have the capacity to drastically reduce, and often ameliorate menopausal symptoms.
What if you could exit menopause in better health than when you started it! Change your experience from menopausal suffering to benefiting from this powerful life transition.
This is YOUR TIME! Feel better NOW!
Schedule your appointment today!