Acupuncture For Menopause Symptoms

Women typically begin to experience perimenopause at 40-45 and menopause between the ages of 45 and 55, and symptoms can last up to 14 years after initial onset. When you enter menopause depends on a variety of factors, from lifestyle and dietary choices to genetics. But, regardless of when you start menopause, menopause itself is inevitable. This dramatic hormonal change can contribute to a whole host of uncomfortable symptoms, including hot flashes, insomnia, mood swings, acne, depression, and anxiety. If you’re struggling to overcome your hormonal symptoms and are looking for natural treatments, it’s time to consider acupuncture for menopause.

By reducing stress, balancing hormones, and promoting relaxation, acupuncture can help menopausal women cope with their symptoms. Acupuncture makes the transition of menopause much smoother for women, overall. 

Acupuncture helps menopausal women reduce stress

Acupuncture is a treatment of choice because it is holistic and a nondrug therapy and its ability to reduce stress. Research shows that acupuncture decreases the stress response by influencing cortisol levels. Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone and what causes swelling and inflammation as well as weight gain. When levels are high, they can contribute to many of the symptoms associated with menopause, including anxiety, depression, mood swings, hot flashes, and weight gain (especially around the midsection).

Stress is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, a major biofeedback center of the endocrine system. When you feel stressed, your body makes more stress hormones. The presence of high-stress hormones keeps your body feeling stressed, thus creating a vicious cycle. But by blocking the effects of stress hormones, acupuncture can break that cycle so you can finally relax.

It’s also worth noting that acupuncture can modulate neurotransmitter activity. Neurotransmitters, like serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, endorphins, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) all influence our moods, and adequate levels of these hormones are essential for our well-being.

Interestingly, neurotransmitters are also closely linked to hormone levels. So when hormones fall during menopause, neurotransmitter activity can become imbalanced as a result. Serotonin, in particular, is often low in menopausal women because it’s negatively influenced by declining estrogen levels. Studies show that acupuncture can increase serotonin activity, which won’t just make you feel good, but it’s also essential for many bodily functions including digestion and sleep. 

Acupuncture reduces the symptoms of estrogen deficiency

Menopause is a complex metabolic process and is unique for every woman. For some women, their body slowly and steadily puts the brakes on sex hormone production, allowing for a relatively symptom-free menopause. But for other women, their bodies alternate between producing too much of some hormones and not enough of the others, and this contributes to hormonal imbalance and — you guessed it! — menopausal symptoms. 

Generally speaking, the worse your menopause symptoms are, the more inflammation and hormonal imbalances are present. Shifting hormones can upset your life wreaking havoc on your relationships, your moods, and your physical and emotional well-being. But you don’t have to just sit back and take it. Acupuncture can help.

At Integrative Healing Arts, we use a personalized approach with acupuncture and Chinese medicine to support women of all ages with all manner of health and hormonal conditions. Acupuncture is an effective and supportive therapy for PCOS, endometriosis, period pain, irregular periods, and infertility. It is safe for expectant mothers throughout their pregnancies, and C-section recovery, as well as postpartum anxiety find relief from their symptoms.

Acupuncture is so effective at supporting the body to balance hormones that it can help women in perimenopause with their declining estrogen levels. By acting upon the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, acupuncture increases estrogen levels, fighting the weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, irregular periods, and loss of skin elasticity commonly associated with this life transition.

Acupuncture promotes weight loss

During a woman’s reproductive years, the balance of estrogen and progesterone as well as other hormones part of maturing, encourage the body to store fat in the hips. Hence the hourglass figure as an indication of fertility. We need body fat for metabolic health. During menopause, what often happens is cortisol becomes much higher because the metabolism can slow down. Because we live in a culture that is demanding and expects “hard work”; women tend to overwork themselves including overexercising or extreme dieting. Some menopausal women also experience elevated androgen hormones, like testosterone. This shifts the weight off the hips and into the midsection.

If you’ve noticed weight gain during your transition into menopause, even though you’re eating and exercising the same, then your hormones are likely in flux. Menopausal weight gain is real. For many women, losing weight around menopause is just as hard as losing weight after pregnancy.

Acupuncture supports healthy weight loss, not just by reducing stress and balancing hormones. But also by helping to regulate insulin and improving glucose metabolism. Acupuncture helps your body metabolize efficiently. Furthermore, acupuncture stimulates lipolysis, or fat burning, helping you to lose weight around the middle.

Acupuncture supports healthy liver function

Did you know that low estrogen levels can contribute to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)? In women of a healthy weight, estrogen is hepatoprotective, supporting healthy liver metabolism. Estrogen is key for fat metabolism, supporting the liver to detox, converting food for energy, and storing leftover glucose in the form of glycogen to be used later.

When estrogen levels drop during menopause, liver function may suffer, with the liver suddenly developing fatty deposits that can lead to devastating consequences for your health. With insufficient levels of estrogen, liver function is challenged. The liver begins storing excess energy as fatty deposits, and toxins build up and are stored in the fat.

NAFLD increases your risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Having a fatty liver makes you less sensitive to insulin, and more prone to chronic inflammation. Interestingly, some of the symptoms associated with NAFLD are also common in menopausal women, including weight gain in the belly, inflammation, insomnia, difficulty losing weight, digestive issues, acne, and fatigue.

Because acupuncture helps with inflammation and regulating hormones such as estrogen, it can help with detoxing and protect you from NAFLD as you enter menopause. Acupuncture also supports liver health by inhibiting inflammation, fighting oxidation, regulating lipid metabolism, and promoting a healthy insulin response. Remember, your liver is your body’s major detoxifier. A happy liver aids in weight loss, hormonal balance, and skin health, so make it one of your top priorities. 

Contact us today

Why suffer with uncomfortable symptoms of menopause when you don’t have to? Study after study illustrates acupuncture’s effectiveness in helping to regulate hormonal imbalances and symptoms. If you’re ready to naturally address your menopause symptoms, get in touch with us today. 

At Integrative Healing Arts, we love helping our clients meet their unique health goals. Whether you’re looking for anti-aging acupuncture, massage therapy, or herbal medicine, we’re your one-stop shop for all things holistic health.