‘Hot flashes’ or ‘hot flushes’ are typically a symptom of menopause. Menopause occurs when a woman’s reproductive systems begin to shut down and the hormones they produce begin to fluctuate. Symptoms typically include extended periods of feeling hot, excessive sweating during the day, night sweating, insomnia, anxiety, low energy levels and weight gain.
Western treatments for menopause/hot flushes include:
- Focus on diet and exercise
- Medications such as antidepressants, gabapentin (anti-seizure meds) or clonidine (high blood pressure meds)
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
But sometimes these treatments don’t provide relief and can come with serious side effects. For some people these treatments cannot be prescribed if you have other serious conditions.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) complements these thoughts but approaches the treatment differently. Rather than trying to replace the oestrogen, TCM attempts to drop the oestrogen levels faster, relieving the symptoms and making the menopause process smoother. At the same time TCM can treat the symptoms such as night sweating and hot flushes, making you feel better.
So how is this achieved? Every woman is different but a standard treatment plan for hot flushes or menopause in general involves twice weekly acupuncture appointments along with a Chinese Herbal Medicine treatment plan.
A 2016 study of 209 women who were either premenopausal or postmenopausal saw a 36.7% decline of symptoms after 6 months of acupuncture treatment and was 29.4% better than the control group after 12 months of treatment (Avis et.al 2016). The study concluded that acupuncture treatments are an effective way of managing and treating menopause.
Here at Acunatural Health we have witnessed similar results. We have 3 cases of note that reflect these findings.
Anita
Age: 63
Symptoms: Hot flushes every 2 hours with day and night sweating. Was on HRT but had to stop once 60 due to increased risk of cancer. Once HRT stopped symptoms came back.
Treatment plan: Twice weekly acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine
Response: After 1 week she was no longer experiencing night sweating and dropped to barely twice a day hot flushes.
Beth
Age: 51
Symptoms: Hot flushes and night sweating causing insomnia and low energy levels
Treatment plan: Twice weekly acupuncture and 2 courses Chinese Herbal Medicine
Response: After 6 weeks she reported sleeping 8 hours a night without disturbance. She has since dropped to once a fortnight treatments to manage her menopause.
Courtney
Age: 52
Symptoms: Hot flushes and bad sleep
Treatment plan: Twice weekly acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine
Response: After a month she returned to a normal sleep cycle and even reported being able to feel chills and cold again.
These are just some examples of hot flush and menopause cases we have witnessed and treated at Acunatural Health. Jane Ma, with her experience and observations, says that the key to getting relief from menopausal symptoms is to catch and especially treat them early. The longer you suffer the longer it will take to bring balance to your body. However, no matter what stage of menopause you are in, acupuncture could definitely benefit you.
Are you experiencing hot flushes? Or suffering from symptoms of menopause? Book your appointment with Acunatural Health today! Call us on 3162 6888 or email us at info@acunaturalhealth.com.au.
Leave a Reply