Menopause
Acpssociated
with menopause.
estrogen.
Your medical doctor might define
menopause as an elevated FSH level which causes a decline in estrogen. The
decrease in estrogen occurs because of an elevated FSH level.
The elevated FSH level is caused by the aging of the kidneys.
Because the
kidneys no longer process FSH out of the blood stream as efficiently as they
once did, FSH rises and estrogen declines.
This imbalance in hormone levels causes the uncomfortable symptoms associate
with menopause.
In Chinese
medicine there are two classic patterns of menopause, ether Kidney Yin or Kidney
Yang deficiency. The kidneys
are primary while the liver, heart, and spleen systems are considered secondary. Depending on the type of menopause
presenting, the acupuncturist will treat the kidneys, heart, liver, or spleen
system.
Kidney Hormone (Yin) Deficiency
This is a
classic pattern that presents with irregular menstruation, night sweats, ringing
in the ears, insomnia, hot flashes, back achiness, anxiety, high blood pressure,
depression, and knee pain.
Kidney
Fatigue (Yang) Deficiency
This
pattern presents with irregular menstruation, cold symptoms or hot and cold
symptoms combined. Other symptoms
may include weight gain, edema of the face or body, insomnia, fatigue,
depression, decreased libido are also common complaints.
It took me a year or two to figure out exactly why the ancient acupuncturists
treated both the kidney and heart to stop hot flashes and night sweating. Their understanding of the human body
was extraordinary!
The heart’s
involvement in the treatment of menopausal symptoms is fascinating. Ask yourself why would an
acupuncturist treat the heart? The
heart is the pump that pushes estrogen around the body. When the body needs to move estrogen
around quicker, to compensate for a deficiency, the body increases the patient’s
heart
This
increase in heart rate and of course the sweating causes insomnia which helps to
explain why the patient may become fatigued. This hormone imbalance and/or the
symptoms can also cause depression. e
tht the elevated heart rate is not exaggerated but slightly higher than normal
for the specific patient. The difference in the heart rate
would be equivalent to the difference in someone attempting to sleep sitting up
compared to this same person’s heart rate while lying down.
Note: Patients with thyroid disorders and those undergoing chemotherapy require
additional treatment(s).
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