A look at the value of acupuncture to support Menopause……
Menopause is associated with an array of symptoms that range in severity from mild to debilitating. Furthermore, post-menopausal women are of increased risk of a variety of chronic health conditions, the most common of these issues including; hot flushes, depression and anxiety, insomnia, osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome and cognitive decline.
Menopause is defined as 12 consecutive months without a period. The average age of menopause in developed countries is 51 years. Although it is a natural process, the years preceding and succeeding the menopause are associated with a variety of uncomfortable symptoms, ranging in severity from mild to debilitating. The average duration of symptoms is seven years. Women who have not given birth are half as likely to report hot flushes than those who have given birth. Women who have never been pregnant may also have a lower incidence of vaginal dryness.
Finding effective, long-term treatments for menopausal symptoms is a complex and controversial issue. The available treatment options depend upon symptom severity and careful weighing of benefits against risks. Finding a suitable treatment depends upon each women’s personal experience of menopause as well as symptoms experienced, which can vary greatly between individuals. The primary mainstream approach to treating menopausal symptoms is menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) which is also known as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), comprising either oestrogen or progesterone monotherapy, or a combination of the two. It is now widely accepted that the benefits of MHT generally outweigh the risks for women aged 60 and under, or within 10 years of menopause.
Acupuncture can be used to help alleviate unnecessary suffering as well as the therapeutic role of the acupuncturist to help inform and support women to adopt beneficial lifestyle changes. Acupuncture can offer relief from some of the most common menopausal symptoms. Acupuncture can also be used as an adjunctive therapy for peri and post-menopausal women.
Vasomotor symptoms (VMS), including hot flushes and night sweats, are among the most common issues experienced by menopausal women. They affect approximately 70 per cent of women in Western cultures and are one of the best-studies areas with regard to acupuncture and menopause.
Main Menopausal Symptoms:
1) Depression & Anxiety
2) Sleep Disturbance & Insomnia
3) Osteoporosis
4) Metabolic Syndrome (weight gain)
5) Cognitive decline & Alzheimer’s disease
6) Mechanisms (physiological mechanisms such as purinergic signalling – neurotransmission, neuromodulation, endocrine and exocrine secretion. VMS, DHEA levels)
Expedited in the past forty years by the rapid growth of assisted reproduction treatments for female infertility, menopause is fast becoming a specialist area for a range of healthcare professionals, including acupuncturists. With this greater understanding of female endocrinology, coupled with women becoming more vocal about their experience and seeking effective healthcare solutions, menopause is now at the forefront of both medicine and the media. This presents a significant opportunity for acupuncturists to become more involved in the treatment of menopausal symptoms, either as an alternative or an adjunct to MHT and other mainstream treatment approaches. The current evidence suggests that acupuncture provides benefits for many of the primary issues that women experience during and after the menopause.
Oak Park Clinic, based in Crondall, near Farnham and Fleet in Surrey, recommend that women suffering from menopausal symptoms have one weekly Acupuncture treatment for six weeks to begin with to see how it can help.
Contact the clinic on 01252 850 800 to chat or to book an appointment see www.oakparkclinic.co.uk.