Healthcare Professionals
PMS and Perimenopause
It is well known that women have a complex ever-changing physiology. These changes range from daily to once in a lifetime and require her body to complete an intricate and ongoing series of interactions. Emotions, age, stress and even other health issues, such as insomnia and depression can upset this delicate balance yielding physical and emotional symptoms as unique as the individual. Although it has made many improvements, conventional medicine has typically treated these symptoms as isolated problems instead of an imbalance of the whole. This approach has rarely come up with good answers to the questions posed by a system that is out of balance. This is where Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) shines. Through a holistic approach using acupuncture, herbs and diet TCM can provide relief for a number of imbalances in a safe and relatively inexpensive manner.
Acupuncture and Herbs
Acupuncture is ancient. The oldest know acupuncture textbook is 2,300 years old and there is evidence that acupuncture has been in use for almost 5,000 years. From its earliest bronze age roots until today, acupuncture has been continually improving and adapting to become the safe and effective practice it is today. Many of the theories that were developed long ago were founded on the belief that health is a function of harmony and balance. In order to achieve this harmony and balance, energy must be able to flow freely though the body's energy pathways, often called meridians. If the energy in these pathways is blocked and circulation is impaired, pain and illness result. By stimulating acupuncture points along the meridians energy is released and regulated, thereby restoring balance and health.
Another important tool for the practitioner of TCM is Chinese Herbs. Plant based medicine is as old as humanity; where would we be without morphine from the poppy or aspirin from the salicyn in willow bark? The Chinese herbalist uses hundreds of plants in combination to address health concerns. They can be used alone or as an integral part of an acupuncture treatment. In Chinese herbal medicine there are what are called classic formulas. They have stood the test of time for safety and effectiveness and are used to treat common problems, but each woman's experience of PMS, menopause, or insomnia is her own, requiring a knowledgeable herbalist who can add or subtract herbs according to her symptoms.
The list of symptoms that a woman may experience related to the complex interactions of her physiology is long and TCM is effective at addressing a large number of these (see chart). There are volumes of traditional Chinese medicine texts dedicated to women's health. Three of the most common problems experienced are PMS, peri-menopause, and insomnia.
PMS
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is one of the most common imbalances found in menstruating women, in fact Approximately 75% of all menstruating women experience PMS - and for something that can effect a woman's quality of life from her first period to her very last, it is still not fully understood. In general, PMS symptoms build up as a woman approaches her period and diminish once the period has started, although some women continue to have symptoms during their periods. Most women experience mild symptoms such as tension, fatigue or breast tenderness the week before a period; some symptoms can be more severe, such as migraines and anxiety. In most cases women experience emotional changes, which can also range from the mild but manageable to the severe and debilitating.
On the severe side of that spectrum is a condition known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) which affects 5% of menstruating women and has symptoms similar to PMS but severe enough to disrupt daily activities. Conventional medicine has some answers for the symptoms of PMS and PMDD, but it does not treat the underlying cause. For example some physicians will prescribe the popular antidepressant Prozac for cases of PMDD. While the moods swings and depression may be controlled the underlying hormone imbalance remains in place. Given time PMS and PMDD can often be treated with a number of therapies including, diet, dietary supplements and exercise. TCM can be successful at providing relief for PMS and PMDD both in the short and long term. Regular treatment with acupuncture and herbs can help the body restore its own balance. Additionally, while the body is returning to balance, many of the PMS and PMDD symptoms can be managed in a very short period of time.
Conventional medicine and TCM agree that there is often a connection between unresolved emotions and PMS/PMDD symptoms. In fact, according to TCM, the majority of the diseases we experience have an emotional component whether it be anger, sadness, anxiety or depression. It is surprising to many people that a number of physical symptoms improve after examining and processing underlying emotions.
Anger, frustration, and emotional extremes may lead to a condition known in Chinese medicine as Liver Qi Stagnation, which is a primary cause of PMS in the TCM system. The Liver is in charge of ensuring the smooth flow of energy, or Qi, throughout the body. However, emotional stress can easily disrupt the flow of energy leading to tension, breast tenderness, mood swings and a number of other symptoms associated with PMS. Acupuncture is used to regulate the Liver and restore the smooth flow of energy which leads to increased relaxation and a decrease in symptoms. Additionally, there are TCM herbal formulas that are effective as a complement to acupuncture or on their own in restoring the body's balance and regulating its flow of energy. A thorough health history is necessary for the acupuncturist or herbalist to formulate the best plan of action. Both the acupuncture point prescription and the herbal formula are individualized to account for the unique presentation of a woman's PMS/PMDD symptoms. TCM recognizes other exacerbating factors for PMS and they can range from diet to overwork, either physical or mental.
Symptoms Experienced with PMS
(list from www.womentowomen.com -- an excellent online resource for information on Women's Health Issues)
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Symptoms to Watch for with PMDD
Core symptoms of PMDD |
Other symptoms of PMDD |
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Perimenopause
Bloating, irritability, mood swings, fuzzy thinking, weight gain. While that may sound like the worst period ever, these are also symptoms experienced during Perimenopause. In addition to hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness, women might also experience symptoms similar to PMS; making the symptoms you experience during PMS predictive of what your perimenopause experience may be like.
Peri-menopause and menopause are not pathological, they are natural occurrences in a women's life, however the symptoms can be severe enough to make it feel like a disease. Again, the underlying cause of the symptoms is a hormone imbalance. Conventional medicine's approach in the past has been hormone replacement therapy (HRT) that has be plagued by side effects ranging from the annoying to the severe. Many improvements have been made and there are now a large number of holistic practitioners prescribing bio-identical hormones, whose safety and effectiveness are championed by some and questioned by others. Just as with PMS, a good number of symptoms experienced during menopause can be managed by supporting the body's own functioning with proper diet, supplementation, and regular exercise.
The early Taoists divided the world into yin and yang. Yin is receptive, nourishing and substantial while yang is active, dry and hot. Before the age of 35 a woman is more yin and its characteristics are what allow her to carry a child. After the age of thirty-five, this yin energy begins to diminish and during the perimenopausal years the yang energy becomes more active. As a woman's body transitions from mostly yin to mostly yang, the flow of energy throughout her body can be irregular. An irregular flow can lead to surges of yang energy which can cause hot flashes, night sweats, and irritability. Over time the body becomes accustomed to it's new state and the flow of the energy stabilizes and the majority of symptoms disappear
Because each woman is unique her symptoms and their severity during the perimenopausal years are too. High stress, emotional extremes, and life style choices such as poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and overwork cause imbalances in the body that may lead to an increased number and intensity of hot flashes or other symptoms experienced throughout the day. These imbalances can be corrected through acupuncture, herbs, dietary changes and other TCM treatments. As with PMS a complete health history is essential in formulating an appropriate and individualized treatment plan. Only 10% of Chinese women have symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats, compared with 75% of American woman. While the differences between the two cultures are numerous, stress handling techniques and diet standout as the major differences contributing to these lopsided statistics. Additionally, Chinese women have had access to and utilized acupuncture and Chinese herbs successfully for centuries and most receive TCM evaluations as they approach menopause the detect any imbalances that might affect their transition from a more yin to a more yang.
If you or anyone woman know is experiencing any difficulty with PMS or perimenopause and is looking for a more natural and very effective therapeutic approach, please consider TCM. We are available for free 10 minute phone consultations or 30 minute in office consultations, which includes a thorough review of conventional and TCM health history, for $40. Call us at (512) 458-2442 to arrange your consultation.