Acupuncture for Menopause Symptoms in London
Acupuncture for menopause could be extremely beneficial in relieving the many unpleasant symptoms associated with the hormonal changes that herald the end of reproductive function.
Although there are women who experience symptom-free menopause that is not the case for the majority. In fact, it’s estimated that 85 percent of all women will experience at least one of the 30+ unpleasant symptoms that are associated with menopause.
Menopause is a phase of life that women tend to dread because of the common symptoms that are associated with it.
But it’s important to say that menopause is also a part of life and impossible to avoid, and how we approach this transition emotionally and psychologically can have a huge effect on the severity of its physical and mental impact.
Acupuncture is a remarkable treatment that can greatly improve our emotional health and, in turn, increase our levels of positivity and resilience. With greater resilience comes greater ability to mitigate and manage how we respond both physically and emotionally to the symptoms we experience.
In the end, we always have choices in life. There are a great many women who struggle badly during menopause and beyond. But acupuncture for menopause offers women an opportunity to embrace this inevitable process psychologically, and then deal with it on their own terms.
Menopause symptoms
While menopausal symptoms are commonly treated through hormone replacement therapy (HRT), menopause is not a health ‘condition’ in the traditional sense, but rather a natural process of transition that is achieved through the body reconfiguring its production of the hormones that allow conception and childbirth.
Menopause is usually described as having three stages: perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause.
Perimenopause is the period during which the body prepares itself to halt the process of ovulation, and most women won’t even be aware that this stage of their reproductive life has begun.
Menstruation continues normally – at least in the very early months – and the process of biological change in the background slows and reduces the production of oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
This hormonal change eventually begins to disrupt ovulation and your periods may become increasingly erratic. Generally speaking, an ongoing change of a week to the start of your period is taken to be confirmation of having entered perimenopause.
Clinically the menopause phase lasts a year and ends at the point when there has been no bleed for 12 months The average age at which this happens is 51 – but it may happen earlier or later. Ovulation has now stopped, and you are now in post-menopause, and are likely to continue experiencing symptoms, though these tend to progressively ease over a period of about 4 years.
Although, strictly speaking, you will always be in the post-menopause phase at this point, your body will eventually find a permanent hormonal balance.
Menopausal symptoms are likely to be more dominant in menopause itself and continue into the early years of post-menopause, and the most common include:
- Hot flushes (also referred to as hot flashes)
- Mood swings
- Night sweats
- Insomnia
- Loss of libido
- Vaginal dryness
- Anxiety
Around 92 per cent of all women enter post-menopause between the age of 55 and 63.
During this period of life hormonal change can be erratic with a great deal of fluctuation. Our acupuncture for menopause in London works to regulate this transition, smoothing the natural process by achieving better hormonal balance.
Acupuncture may also help to improve the production of other hormones, such as the so-called ‘feel good’ endorphins which can offset some of the emotional symptoms that you may be experiencing.
Various studies have also shown acupuncture to be effective in supporting the female endocrine system, which is the complex network of glands and organs that uses hormones to manage metabolism, energy levels, reproduction, growth and development, and trauma responses (both physical and psychological).
How does acupuncture for menopause symptoms work
Our acupuncture for menopause therapy in London uses superfine needles that are painlessly inserted under the skin at various important points of the body. This process helps to stimulate and rebalance our natural inner energy, known as qi.
Once stimulated, any blockages or interruptions to this natural healing energy are removed and the body is better able to respond to the hormonal fluctuations that occur during menopause, helping to reduce the severity and impact of the symptoms they bring.
Because acupuncture is a holistic treatment, it has the added benefit of being able to address any unknown or unexplained issues that may be having a negative effect on your general health.
Who can benefit from acupuncture for menopause symptoms?
All women who are struggling to cope with the unpleasant symptoms of menopause may benefit from regular acupuncture sessions.
There are many women who make the choice to go through menopause without taking either synthetic or bioidentical HRT because they are concerned there may be an elevated risk of other conditions, such as cancer and heart disease. Our acupuncture for menopause may be particularly helpful if this is the choice you have made.
If you’d like to know more about how acupuncture can help to relieve the unpleasant symptoms of menopause or would like to find out more about this ancient Chinese therapy, please get in touch for an informal and confidential chat at our clinic in Harley Street, London.