Menopause: Can Acupuncture Support You?
Menopause is a natural transition every woman goes through, but that doesn't mean it has to be something you simply put up with. Hot flushes, night sweats, disrupted sleep, low mood, brain fog and joint aches are all common - and for many women, they're genuinely disruptive to daily life. Acupuncture is commonly used to support women through this transition, alongside other approaches like HRT, lifestyle changes and medical care. In Chinese medicine, menopause is referred to as the ‘second spring'‘- and it is celebrated!
How acupuncture may help during menopause (western medicine approach
There is only one word to describe menopause - but each woman experience menopause differently. Similarly, what causes one woman’s menopause, is not the same as another woman’s menopause - and so treatment, should be different. That’s where Chinese Medicine and acupuncture come in, because of its ability to see each woman as an individual rather than a set of symptoms. Instead of treating the symptoms by putting a plaster on them, we look to understand the root cause of the symptoms, to prevent them from reoccurring.
From a Western medical perspective, acupuncture works by stimulating the nervous system and influencing the body's own regulatory processes:
Acupuncture helps regulate the body's temperature-control response, which is linked to hot flushes and night sweats
Can support the nervous system, helping to calm the body's stress response
Can support mood swings and general sense of wellbeing
Can ease joint and muscle stiffness through improved local circulation
How acupuncture may help during menopause (Chinese Medicine approach)
You're likely familiar with oestrogen and progesterone, the two hormones at the heart of the menopause transition. In Chinese Medicine, these map onto the concepts of Yin and Yang, two forces rooted in the Kidneys that work together to keep the body in balance.
Yin, which corresponds to oestrogen, is cooling and nourishing. It governs the body's fluids, including saliva and menstrual fluid. Yang, corresponding to progesterone, is warming and drying by nature.
As we age, Kidney energy naturally declines, and this balance begins to shift. Menstrual fluid, one expression of Yin, becomes lighter and less frequent through perimenopause before stopping altogether, a visible sign that Yin is diminishing. As Yin declines relative to Yang, the body has less of that cooling, moistening quality to draw on. This relative excess of Yang is what's thought to underlie symptoms like night sweats, hot flushes, and vaginal dryness: the fluids that would normally nourish and cool the body are in shorter supply.
Acupuncture works with this shift by supporting the body's Yin, helping to restore a cooling, nourishing effect that may ease hot flushes, night sweats, and sleep disturbance.
Tips to help with menopause
Avoid stimulants like spicy food or acidic drinks, caffeine, alcohol and smoking.
Click the link below for a quick video on how to help stop hot flushes in the moment.
Watch my short acupressure video to help with stress and anxiety.
What does the research say?
A study of 869 participants found that acupuncture significantly reduced the frequency and severity of hot flushes compared with control groups, along with improvements in some other menopause-related symptoms and quality of life. Benefits were seen for up to three months after treatment.
A review of 12 studies on acupuncture for sleep disorders in post- menopausal women involved a wide range of treatment protocols, interventions, and durations. Overall, 75% reported improvements in sleep complaints following acupuncture treatment.
Read the research:
Effects of acupuncture on menopause-related symptoms and quality of life — PubMed
Acupuncture to Treat Sleep Disorders in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review - PubMed
I offer acupuncture from my clinic in Westminster, welcoming patients from Pimlico, Victoria, Belgravia, St James's and the surrounding areas.