Women’s health Series: How Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture treat Menopausal Hot Flashes

As mentioned in the previous post, menopause is the change of life for many women. This change comes with the experience of the shift from regular monthly cycles to irregular periods and the accompanying symptoms. Read also Are You Ashamed of Your Menses?

Let us start by exploring the menopausal symptom of hot flashes and how we can alleviate that from a scientific and Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective.

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Conventional Scientific Perspective of Menopausal Hot Flashes

Hot flashes or vasomotor flashes are characterized by a feeling of heat and sweating, particularly around the head and neck. They affect anywhere from 50 to 85 percent of women at some time during their climacteric years. For most women, hot flashes are simply an occasional sensation of warmth and slight sweating, but about 10 to 15 percent of women experience hourly waves of heat and drenching sweats that disrupt daily activities and can result in sleep disturbance and subsequent depression. Hot flashes usually subside in a year or so, but some women have them for anywhere from ten to forty years.

According to conventional science, the actual causes of hot flashes is not known and it is thought to be related to neurotransmitter changes that are poorly understood. Women may experience hot flashes during their adolescence and reproductive years, after having a baby, and premenstrually for reasons other than estrogen deficiency. Hot flashes have also been shown to increase when a woman is anxious or tense. Excess stress hormones from worry, depression, sleep deprivation and nutritional deficiency are often root causes of hot flashes that can go on for years or that do not respond well to standard treatments.

Holistic Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective of Menopausal Hot Flashes

What cannot be explained and found in conventionals are all explained and found in holistics. And that is exactly applicable to menopausal hot flashes as well.

In menopause, Traditional Chinese Medicine has given seven kinds of causes or syndrome differentiation for menopause and their symptoms.

For menopausal hot flashes, two main causes and pathogenesis out of the seven are the deficiency of Liver and Kidney Yin and disharmony between Heart and Kidney. In the deficiency of Liver and Kidney Yin, the depletion of Life essence and Blood leads to deficiency of Liver and Kidney Yin. Where Yin deficiency occurs, there is a relative Yang hyperactivity, resulting in asthenia and the illusions of being ‘heaty’, hence hot flashes. In the causation of hot flashes due to the disharmony between Heart and Kidney, Kidney Yin deficiency means there is deficiency in the water element and this low level of water element can fail to inhibit the Heart fire element, resulting in the exhibition of ‘heaty’ symptoms such as hot flashes.

Conventional Approach in the treatment of Menopausal Hot Flashes

Conventional treatment for menopausal hot flashes available now is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). However, HRT has other biological side effects such as it increases the risk of breast cancer and thrombo-embolic disease.

Holistic Approach in the treatment of Menopausal Hot Flashes

Acupuncture

Scientifically, acupuncture reduces hot flushes by increasing β-endorphin activity in the hypothalamus. Acupuncture can also modulate autonomic nerve system activity, and central sympathetic activity is considered to influence hot flush activity.

Based on the kind of syndrome differentiation for the causation of menopausal hot flashes, acupuncture can nourish the Kidney and Liver Yin, clears Heart fire and reestablishes harmony between Heart and Kidney.

Herbs

The plant species P. mirifica (pueraria) contain several phytoestrogens which mimic the hormone estrogen in the body to regulate period and also treat symptoms of menopause.

Other herbs shown to be helpful are Vitex agnus-castus, Siberian ginseng, dong quai, fo-ti, red clover and wild yam.

Energy medicine

Meditation, relaxation, slow, deep abdominal breathing, Tantra Healing Yoga can lead to relaxation response which has been successfully used by many women to decrease hot flashes by as much as 90 percent.

Read more on Women’s Health: How Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture treat Infertility, Premenstrual Syndrome, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Endometriosis, Fibroids, Recurrent Miscarriages, Irregular Period, Menopause, Menopause and Adrenal Fatigue here.