Embracing Menopause with Traditional Chinese Medicine
As a doctor of Chinese medicine, supporting women on their menopause journey is a frequent gift. The widely variable symptoms may continue to baffle Western medicine (as they finally begin to take women’s health more seriously) but Chinese medicine has studied women's health and hormonal fluctuations for thousands of years and offers us a much more nuanced understanding of the changing seasons of a woman’s life than Western medicine ever will.
Often referred to in Chinese medicine as the "Second Spring," menopause marks a significant life transition for women, characterized by the end of menstrual cycles and accompanied by various symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, and decreased bone density. While Western medicine often addresses these symptoms with hormone replacement therapy (HRT), Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers a holistic approach to managing menopause naturally, focusing on restoring balance and enhancing vitality. Clinically, I have found that the better we are able to support our hormones and our health leading up to menopause, the easier the transition may be.
Patterns of Disharmony in TCM
In Chinese medicine, we are always looking for the underlying patterns of disharmony within the body, and these imbalances explain the variety of symptoms and challenges that women have during this time. Menopause is often associated with Kidney Yin deficiency in our system, but it can also involve imbalances in Liver Qi and Spleen Qi.
Kidney Yin Deficiency
Most people have heard of the concept of Yin and Yang. Yin is often thought of as the cooling, moistening elements of the body, whereas Yang is the warming and active aspects. These energies dynamically interplay with and support one another in all aspects of health. According to TCM, the Kidneys store our vital Qi that we inherit at birth. They are integrally connected to fertility, energy, and cognitive function. As women age, their Kidney Yin begins to deplete, leading to an excess of heating Yang energy. This phenomenon leads to many of the classical symptoms of menopause like hot flashes and brain fog.
Liver Qi Stagnation
The liver is deeply connected to our stress levels and is in charge of the free flow of Qi (energy) and blood throughout the body. When we get stressed, we see stagnation of energy which can lead to PMS/PMDD symptoms when you are younger and mood swings as frustration when you are in your later years. The Liver is also strongly connected to the Spleen, which is in charge of processing both foods and emotions. This connection can lead to overthinking and worrying, as well as digestive issues and weight gain.
Heart and Kidney Connection
The connection between the Kidneys and the Heart is also important. The Heart, which holds the Shen (our spirit), can be easily irritated by heat, leading to heart palpitations, insomnia, sadness, and depression.
Game plan - Support for Menopause
Our system of herbs addresses the need to balance these essential organs to support your health and vitality as you age. While most women in menopause will use Nourish (our Kidney support formula), your additional challenges may be different and may shift over time, requiring support in different areas of life. If you find yourself getting easily frustrated and irritable, add some of our Liver formula (Regulate). If your insomnia is acting up, you can add Calm at night or during stressful days.
Most importantly, I really want you to start paying attention to your body, your digestion, your energy levels, and your mood. These are important indications of how your body and mind are functioning and offer us great insight into how you can support yourself and begin to build health—even as you age.
Dietary Recommendations During Menopause
As much as it pains me to say this, try to reduce (or avoid) spicy foods and caffeine as we are particularly sensitive to both as we age. Instead focus on more cooling and nourishing foods and drinks like green or white tea, goji berries, black sesame seeds, cucumber or watermelon (which happens to be a Chinese herb!).
In practice, I always encourage my patients to focus on eating more whole foods. As women I feel like we need to take the job of nourishing ourselves very seriously and that starts with what you eat and how to speak to yourself. I do not expect perfection from anyone (and please do not expect it of me) but I do want to encourage you to imperfectly move in the direction of health with me.
Acupressure:
Many of the Kidney points are located on the inside of the ankle, so massaging that area is always great for women in menopause. When you are feeling stressed feel free to press on Liver 3 (between your first and second toes) and Large intestine 4 (between your thumb and forefinger).