Acupuncture has been embraced by the Western world for decades. Its popularity has grown considerably-- so much, in fact, that many major health plans now cover the cost of acupuncture treatments. It is often beneficial to use a combination of TCM and the advances of Western medicine to treat and promote health.
If you have a broken ankle, you will probably still want to go to your doctor to have the bone set and cast. But for other systemic conditions, such as menopause, acupuncture can be a much better tool than the Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) that is typically prescribed by Western medicine.
Menopause is a natural transition that occurs when a woman’s childbearing years come to an end. It can be a difficult transition for many women, filled with symptoms like insomnia, anxiety, and mood swings. It is also an unavoidable phase of life that affects every woman on the planet. It happens at different ages and different times for each woman, but some aspects of the experience are fairly universal, such as experiencing frequent and unexpected hot flashes.
Acupuncture can successfully treat the symptoms of menopause for many women. The philosophy of Western medicine’s HRT is to replace the levels of hormones in your body that dwindle as you age. The TCM approach, on the other hand, aims to keep your hormones balanced through the use of acupuncture. Some women may need slightly different acupuncture each time they receive treatment. Other women will have treatment that evolves every week or two as they move through menopause. For some women, the acupuncture treatments may remain the same for long periods of time.
No woman knows exactly when she will reach menopause, but you can start acupuncture treatments for menopause as early as age 40. This will set you up for a largely pleasant and symptom free transition into menopause. Call your acupuncturist to schedule a consultation to discover which treatment is right for you!
Sources:
"Traditional Chinese Medicine: An Introduction." NCCAM. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Mar. 2009. Web.
Seifert, Sonya. "Interview with Sonya Seifert, Licensed Acupuncturist & Board Certified Herbalist." Personal interview. Aug. 2014.