A 49-year-old woman came to Raleigh Acupuncture complaining of night sweats, hot flashes, insomnia, anxiety, and foggy thinking. This perimenopause acupuncture case study reveals how acupuncture reduced her heat symptoms, helped her sleep, and sharpened her mind.
Perimenopause Symptoms
There are specific symptoms we commonly see with women who are approaching menopause. Menopause occurs for most women between the ages of 47 and 53. As a woman approaches this age, estrogen and progesterone levels start to drop. Menstrual cycles become more irregular. Symptoms like anxiety, depression, poor concentration, foggy thinking, and sleeping problems can arise. Many women start having night sweats and hot flashes as well.
Perimenopause and Acupuncture
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have a natural treatment for this condition. Acupuncture is all about restoring balance in the body to restore health. Perimenopausal symptoms are nothing more than the signs of imbalance caused by hormone changes taking place as we age. Acupuncture helps women’s bodies adjust to the new hormone levels, and in so doing, helps alleviate the unwelcome symptoms.
For example, a rapid decline in progesterone may cause estrogen dominance, with symptoms like foggy brain and poor concentration. Acupuncture helps the body adjust to the lower estrogen levels, resulting in better concentration. Lower estrogen and progesterone levels trigger night sweats and hot flashes in many women. Acupuncture again speeds up the body’s ability to adjust to these new hormone levels, resulting in fewer heat symptoms.
Over time, a woman’s body figures out how to adjust to hormone changes on its own. But it may take many years to make this adjustment. Acupuncture speeds up that process, restoring balance quickly, with long-lasting results.
Perimenopause Acupuncture Case Study
Our patient in this perimenopause acupuncture case study had been struggling with debilitating hot flashes, increased insomnia accompanied by anxiety, and brain fog that was driving her crazy. At first, she didn’t realize these symptoms were related to her hormones, but her doctor informed her. This awareness was a relief, but not for long. She felt like she was losing her mind and needed assistance.
Her doctor offered hormone replacement therapy, but she hesitated. Was there something less invasive she could try first? Yes, her doctor informed her. She could try acupuncture. Her doctor had other patients who found perimenopause relief with acupuncture. And so she was referred to Raleigh Acupuncture.
Treatment for Perimenopause
We asked our patient many questions about her health, including sleep patterns, digestive function, emotional state, and menstrual cycle issues. Also, we looked at her tongue and felt her pulse. Tongue and pulse diagnosis is an essential aspect of determining a person’s pattern diagnosis. Ten women can come in to treat perimenopause issues and have ten different diagnoses. Acupuncture is patient-specific every time.
We determined our patient’s primary pattern diagnosis as Kidney and Heart Yin deficiency with concurrent empty heat. Her treatment would involve nourishing Kidney and Heart yin and clearing the excess heat in her body. Acupuncture points included: KD6, LU7, SP6, PC6, KD2, LI11, GV20, and Yintang. Also, we prescribed a Chinese herbal medicine formula to help reduce her hot flashes and night sweats.
Progress and Recovery
After just three treatments (coming once a week), our patient in this perimenopause acupuncture case study started feeling relief. Night sweats and hot flashes reduced by 40%, her concentration was improved 25%, anxiety was down by around 20%, and she was sleeping better through the night. An additional five treatments had her feeling better than she had in years. Her sweats were 90% better, anxiety was gone, her mind was working well again, and she was sleeping like a baby.
These results are typical for women going through perimenopause. And relief is long-lasting. Six months later, she came to our clinic to address some neck pain. When asked about her prior symptoms, she reported that they had not returned!
Next Steps
If you, or someone you love, have perimenopause or menopause symptoms, try acupuncture. Treatments are safe and relaxing. We use sterile, single-use, hair-thin needles. And many of our patients fall asleep during their session. Our patient in this perimenopause acupuncture case study always fell into a deep, restful sleep when she got treatment. Afterward, you will feel refreshed and rejuvenated.
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What our Clients are Saying
Jade is the best!! I went from having 10-15 hot flashes a day…. Now I might get one every now and then. I’m so happy.
My husband used to be the furnace in bed every night and I was always freezing. When I turned 50 I became the furnace, and I was not happy about it! I was on my way to get hormone replacement when I got to reading about possible side effects. With that option gone, I turned to acupuncture. My niece had gone to Raleigh Acupuncture for migraines and raved about it, so I made an appointment. Holy smoke! This stuff really works!! It didn’t take but two visits before I started feeling cooler. By the time they got done with me I was back to my normal “always cold” self! Ladies, you owe it to yourselves to try this.
At 45 I started going through menopause. My periods became irregular for the first time in my life, with much more heavy bleeding and painful cramping. I started getting hot flashes and night sweats, was more irritable, and generally did not feel well. I read how acupuncture could treat menopausal syndrome (which I seemed to fit to the tee) and looked around for a practitioner. Raleigh Acupuncture seemed to have a lot of experience in this area so I gave them a try. They treated me for three months and dramatically reduced my symptoms. They used the acupuncture and chinese herbs. I am amazed at how good I feel, even better than before this trouble started in the first place. I never would have thought that acupuncture could make such positive changes in my health.
I went through menopause 10 years ago and was still having hot flashes and night sweats. I thought it would last the rest of my life. Then I tried acupuncture and within two months they were gone. Thank you Raleigh Acupuncture!
I’ve been going to Raleigh Acupuncture for 4+ years. I first went to them because I was having problems with my monthly period lasting two weeks or more, hot flashes that were extreme, and all over pain from fibromyalgia, which is a chronic pain condition. I was in a state of depression and despair, unable to work, or do things I love to do, like working in my yard. On a good day, I could perform simple household chores, perhaps a little yoga, and that was all. My first few visits brought relief from hot flashes, terrible neck pain, and wrap-around pain in my ribs that restricted my ability to breathe comfortably. I felt this was a miracle as I had suffered for many years, and had no idea it was so easily remedied. This miraculous ride continued as I took Chinese herbs for aiding my menopausal symptoms, sinus problems, anxiety, and general pain. As time went on I began to depend on Raleigh Acupuncture for psychological strengthening as well. Nowhere else have I found anyone that really listens to what I have to say without thinking I was crazy. Today, as I sit and reflect, I am about to graduate from an intense two year program for Landscape Architecture Technology. I took a huge leap when I signed up for full-time classes when I was 50 years old. I have enjoyed great success, making one B in 64 credit hours, the rest were A’s! In February of 2011, I was in a car accident where I was sandwiched between a van and a school bus. I was able to continue school and finish the semester, I believe because of my acupuncture treatments. I contribute most of my academic success, emotional well-being, and diminished pain to Raleigh Acupuncture.
