Has your cycle become irregular? Are you experiencing unusually heavy bleeding during your period? Or maybe you are not sleeping as well and you are more irritable, moody, or anxious, and have no idea why? These are all signs of perimenopause – the phase before menopause that can last up to three to five years, or even 8 years before your cycle stops.
During this time many external things can be changing as well. Children going off to college, career changes, and relationship changes are a few that I frequently see occurring at the same time a woman is going through her menopausal process. These external life changes add additional stress and can impact the internal life change that is happening.
Balancing Out the Imbalances
During perimenopause, progesterone levels begin to drop, and it is easy to develop estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance often leads to weight gain, water retention, moodiness, breast distention and pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, and in some cases hypertension. This shift in hormones is a normal, natural process and can be quite disruptive at times. The key is to maintain some kind of balance during a time when your body can feel very out of balance.
How Can Acupuncture Help?
Research has shown that acupuncture is effective in the treatment of irregular cycles, insomnia, anger, anxiety, irritability and moodiness, hot flashes and sweating associated with perimenopause and menopause. In my clinical practice I have worked with many women who have benefited from regular acupuncture treatments as they go through the natural process of perimenopause and into menopause.
How Can Herbal Medicine Help?
There is a plethora of products on the market for perimenopause and menopause, some helpful and some not. How do you know which one is right for you and your body? The key is to work with a trained and experienced herbalist, who can formulate a customized blend of herbs tailored to your body – this is when you can get the most benefit from herbal medicine.
Having learned so much about the menopausal process through working with hundreds of women and through my own menopausal process, I can provide support, knowledge, and customized acupuncture treatments and herbal formulations for women on this life changing and empowering journey.
Let me support you on your journey through this life changing and at times challenging process.
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