Chinese Medicine and Menopause.

support@wellness.com — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:03:51 Z

Wellness.com - Chinese Medicine and Menopause. by Stuart Dimson

By Stuart Dimson LAc, DOM.
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine is a safe effective and drug free way to treat uncomfortable menopausal symptoms such as night sweating and Hot flashes. Over the last 5,000 years the Chinese have developed acupuncture and herbal medicine to activate the natural, self healing ability of the body. With such intense study and development, acupuncture has helped billions of people regain and maintain their health.
The most common cause of imbalance in women as they enter into menopause is one of deficiency of Kidney Qi (pronounced "chee"). In Chinese medicine the Kidneys are more than a filter to remove toxic liquids from the blood, they are the storehouse of our essence. They rule over the reproductive organs, the lower back region and even have a controlling influence over the brain. The Kidneys act as an anchor, rooting our energy in the lower part of the body. My clients who are suffering with night sweating and or hot flashes will tell you it's effects are felt in the upper body and face. This is a direct result of Kidney's not holding there energy down, where it should be used to heat the entire body evenly, like the boiler in the basement of a house, feeding steam into the heating system.
How does the Kidneys become deficient is a common question. I mentioned earlier that one of its functions is to store the vital essence of the body. In Chinese medicine we call this essence Source Qi, this is the Qi we get from our mother and father upon conception. In the west we loosely correlate this with our genetic code. Source Qi is like a trust fund set up for us by our parents in the bank (our Kidneys). Our goal is to attempt to live off the interest that this account generates and use as little of the principal as possible, because when it is all spent so are we. The problem in our modern world is that most of us must work extra hard just to survive. We live very active and stressful lives and rarely have enough time to regenerate ourselves. Because of this we dip into that principal faster than was intended, so that by the time we are in the middle of our lives the bills come due and our body suffers. This is all the harder on women as they have the added task of having children, with all the energy needed to produce and raise them. So by the late 40's early 50's there's not enough essence left to gradually transition into the next phase of your lives. Kidney energy cannot do its job of holding down the heat and the symptoms begin.
There is hope. Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine has the ability to make a deposit in your energy bank. A big component of acupuncture is the ability to calm the body's energy systems, which in the west we may refer to as the Central Nervous System. We can only regenerate our bodies when we are out of the fight or flight mode of the Sympathetic Nervous System and in the rest mode of the Para Sympathetic Nervous System. Acupuncture has just such an effect and thus will stimulate regeneration and re-growth of our bodies vital systems.
Chinese Herbal medicine is the other crucial component in building back the bodies energy reserves. After a thorough evaluation and determination of where the body is out of balance a custom herbal formula is created to meet each individuals needs. As changes occur the formula is adjusted in subsequent visits until the body has returned to balance. We use a combination of herbs to nourish Kidney Qi, regulate the Qi of the whole body and clear excess heat from the body. It is very effective and patients usually see results very quickly. I witness the power of this ancient medicine everyday and am blessed to be able to help so many women regain their comfort and wellness in life.
Stuart Dimson LAc, DOM, is a Chinese Medical Practitioner with Awakening Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine LLC at the Fit Wellness Center in Broomfield Colorado.

Wellness Posts by Stuart Dimson

Chinese Medicine and Menopause.