Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs have been in the news in the UK lately, because of the shortage of some HRT products, particularly oestrogen. About one million women in the UK use HRT to cope with menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, insomnia, decreased libido, anxiety and poor concentration.

The good news is that Chinese medicine offers a safe and effective alternative to HRT. Systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials (which are the strongest types of research evidence) found that acupuncture is at least as effective as, and sometimes superior to, hormonal drug treatment. 

In my clinic I regularly give acupuncture treatment to women who need help for menopausal symptoms. About 30-70% of women in Western countries will experience vasomotor symptoms (related to constriction or dilatation of blood vessels) like hot flushes or night sweats. In extreme cases they might have been experiencing these for decades. The median duration for vasomotor symptoms is about four years, but in 10% of women, they last longer than 12 years. 

I see myself as walking proof of how Chinese medicine can help those transitioning through menopause, one of millions of women around the world. I manage the symptoms with regular acupuncture and Chinese medicine herbs, along with healthy food choices, regular exercise and stress reduction. And maybe more importantly, it's about appreciating this next stage in my life. Menopause doesn't have to be such a scary word. I'm older and wiser, and that brings with it confidence and serenity. 

Of course I am mindful that I am fortunate to enjoy good health. To some degree it's about luck (i.e. genetics), but there's a lot that middle-aged women can do to help ourselves.

Photo credit: yochim from Free Images

​My ears tingled this morning while listening to the news – the latest advice from NICE (England’s health watchdog) is that doctors should be more prepared to discuss the use of HRT (hormone replacement therapy) with patients who have symptoms of menopause. Because studies have linked HRT with heart disease and breast and ovarian cancer, there has been a fall in prescriptions in England since the studies came out in 2002-2003.
 
My ears tingled because I get very excited when I see how Chinese medicine has so much to offer people with conditions that are not very well treated by orthodox medicine. For more than 2,000 years, acupuncture and Chinese herbs have been used to treat symptoms such as night sweats, hot flushes, and low mood.
 
Health in Chinese medicine is a reflection of the harmony of Yin and Yang. Yang corresponds to heat, fire, dryness, activity, light and day; yin to cold, water, fluid, rest, darkness and night. As women get older, they naturally have less Yin energy. We say that they have symptoms that correspond to a pattern called Yin Deficiency.
 
Acupuncture’s brilliant trick is that by needling specific points in the body, it brings the body’s energies back into balance. We can reduce Yin Deficiency, thus alleviating the symptoms of night sweats and hot flushes. If you are not crazy about the idea of using HRT and want to use a safe way of managing symptoms of menopause, consider acupuncture.
 
Click here to see the research evidence for the use of Chinese medicine for menopausal symptoms.