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HRT Blues So, now what do we do! Reports released in July 2002 tell women that a new danger has emerged from the data collected from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trial on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) drugs. Women who have been taking estrogen and progestin for more than a few years are more likely to suffer heart attacks and blood clots in the lungs and legs, and are at a slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer. Many women are confused and angry. Do they stop cold turkey or confer with their doctors who are also struggling to find the answers? It's a predicament because not only did the hormones relieve the symptoms of menopause but also for decades women have been told that HRT is a veritable fountain of youth! What is Menopause? The dictionary defines it as "the period of permanent cessation of menstruation, usually occurring between the ages of 45 and 50." This "change" may last several months to many years. The symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, weight gain, low back and joint pain, thinning hair, insomnia, heart palpitations, decreased bone mass density, vaginal dryness, memory loss) are a result of the body adapting to decreasing amounts of estrogen and can be mild or quite severe. Why is there such a wide range of experiences? We've heard it all our lives; "you'll regret this when you get older!" It's true! According to the East Asian medical model, our lifestyle, diet, and emotional health are critical to our longevity and to the quality of our lives in the later years. Menopausal symptoms generally arise from a decline of Kidney Essence (Jing). In Chinese Medicine, the amount of Essence (Jing) one has is determined at birth; it is your Pre-Heaven (xian tian) allotment. We cannot replenish our Jing. However, our Post-Heaven (huo tian) Qi can be replenished through the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. The Kidneys, in Chinese Medicine, are the battery for the body. As we rush through our days cramming every possible experience we can into each 24 hours we deplete our Jing and our Qi, we deplete the battery. Pretty soon we are "running on empty." As we approach menopause in this depleted state we don't have the reserves needed to make the adaptations our body is demanding of us. How can Acupuncture help? The Kidney in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the Organ responsible for reproduction, growth, maturation, and aging. The most typical cause for the symptoms associated with menopause is the depletion of Yin, the cooling and moistening aspect of the body. When the Yin is vacuous such symptoms as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, vaginal dryness and heart palpitations occur. Sometimes, it is the Yang that slows down so the symptoms reflect the lack of fire, reduced metabolism and other active processes. Symptoms would then include water retention, weight gain, indigestion and a general feeling of coldness. When the Kidney Jing is depleted we would see symptoms such as sore lower back and legs, the inability to stand for any length of time, and decreased bone density. As you can see, each woman, each body, can experience menopause differently. There are five Organ systems and their associated element that we study in Chinese Medicine, the Kidney/Water, Liver/Wood, Heart/Fire, Spleen/Earth, and Lung/Metal. These five interact with one another in several ways. One is called the "Generating" cycle. Poetically, the Wood can burn and generate Fire, the resulting ash becomes the soil of the Earth, the soil compacts into Metal, and the metal brought from the hot center of the earth condenses in the cool air to make Water. Another way they interact is in the "Controlling" cycle. Here the Wood (as roots of a tree) can break the Earth, the Earth can dam the Water, the Water can put out the Fire, the Fire can melt the Metal, and the Metal can cut the Wood. An Acupuncturist is trained to sift through all the symptoms to determine how each individual is responding and what would be the best strategy for easing those symptoms. We can determine how each of the other Organs is being affected by or affecting the Kidney. As you have probably already guessed, the Kidney is not always the culprit so we need to be able to look at the whole picture and base our treatment strategy on all the facts. By using needles and herbs we have been quite successful in helping women through menopause without the side effects that HRT carries with it. To the traditional East Asian mindset, HRT is an artificial attempt to rewire a function that is no longer appropriate. Acupuncture can offer women a safer alternative. What else can be done? Besides acupuncture and herbs there are lifestyle changes you can make that can help you navigate this transition. Certain foods like dairy products, caffeine, red meat, sugar, alcohol, and processed foods should be avoided. Cigarettes are drying and would aggravate an already dry situation. Include exercise in your daily life. Practices such as yoga, qigong, and Taiji can help you learn about the flow of Qi in your body, how to cultivate it, and how to use it to nourish your Organs. One last thought. Every woman goes through menopause. The idea that our bodies are
failing us is ludicrous, sexist, and just plain wrong. Many illnesses of
later life develop because they are expected as inevitable and are almost
"planned-for" over the years. In From the Daoist perspective, a woman's menstrual cycle is seen as the Heavenly Moon passing through her body. It is a natural process and she is, for that time, a servant of Heaven. With the onset of menopause the Heavenly Moon no longer traverses her body and she is once again returned to her primordial state. She becomes her own universe and is not so much at the beck and call of Heaven. There is a Daoist saying, "Chang sheng jian xing" � live long and see your true nature. Let menopause be a time not of sorrow for things past but a time of coming into enlightenment. Janet Lee M.Ac.,Lic.Ac. Janet earned her Masters degree in 1999 from the New England School of Acupuncture. She is licensed by the Massachusetts Board of Medicine and is currently practicing at Jackowicz Oriental Medical Therapy Associates at Summit Center for Advanced Therapeutics and Performance .
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