Can acupuncture take the sting out of menopause?
Can acupuncture take the sting out of menopause?
By Helen Down
Menopause is a complex beast. There’s so much more to it than pesky hot flushes and brain fog, the symptoms so cliched they’ve become sitcom tropes. Much less acknowledged is the mental health toll, which is arguably more destructive. With oestrogen crashing in and out of our bodies and minds like a tsunami, it’s no wonder our mood becomes similarly turbulent, with shockwaves rippling through all parts of lives, especially relationships.
One study by Family Law Menopause Project and Newson Health Research and Education revealed sev en in 10 women cite menopause or perimenopause as a major factor in their divorces. Because I’m a living breathing example of this finding, it’s clear to me these emotional symptoms need to be treated as seriously as the physical ones. And I think I’ve finally found something that ticks both boxes: acupuncture.
Acupuncture first came to my attention as a potential way of easing perimenopausal symptoms after I went to an intense Indian ayurveda retreat – Ananda in the Himalayas – in October last year. As part of my ‘hormone rebalance’ programme, I received acupuncture every other day. Far from being a prickly experience, I would waft out of each session feeling blissfully untroubled, as though the needles had punctured all my menopausal angst. I was so impressed that, having been on HRT for nearly seven years, I reduced my dose from three pumps of oestrogel to two.
Of course, it helped that, being ensconced in a five-star wellness retreat, I was insulated from the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Then again, it also stands to reason that acupuncture can be beneficial for hormonal issues like menopause: surely I’m not alone in knowing of several women whose fertility problems miraculously disappeared after acupuncture?
The crucial question was, though: could this retreat magic be recreated back home in south west London? To find out, I enlisted Victoria Busk, an acupuncturist working in Kingston and Teddington who specialises in women’s health, including gynaecology, fertility, pregnancy and menopause. As a member of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC) and the Acupuncture Fertility Network (AFN), she is not only thoroughly lovely but also highly qualified and experienced.
Since returning from India, I’ve seen Victoria every other week. And I’m pleased to report that some of that invaluable post-retreat calm has, despite swapping five-star luxury for my messy Victorian semi, stayed with me.
A typical session involves a chat about how symptoms have been since the last visit, followed by an examination of the pulse and tongue, which acts as a map of the body’s interior. I’ll then lie down on a deliciously comfortable heated bed so the needles can be inserted. To be clear, this is not at all painful. I barely notice most needles going in. That said, on more sensitive areas, like my wrists, it can feel momentarily uncomfortable. Around 20 needles get placed on my lower legs, stomach, hands, wrists, neck, ears and even once or twice on my face, which actually felt very cathartic. I’m then left to marinate. I’ll listen to soothing music or meditate for 20 to 30-minutes while serenity begins to settle into my bones.
In addition to keeping me anchored during tumultuous times, the acupuncture has helped control the hot flushes that made a comeback after reducing HRT. They’re now fewer and further between and less rageous. Likewise, my sleep – which has always been terrible – has improved. Although I still wake in the night multiple times, I can fall back to sleep more easily and feel more refreshed in the mornings. As a major bonus, the headaches that have plagued me for the past two years have vanished.
“In Chinese medicine, menopause is not seen as a disease,” explains Victoria. “Instead, we see it as a physiological transition where pathology arises when there’s an imbalance between yin, yang and qi. By balancing heat, cold and functional systems such as the liver, kidney, spleen and heart; we can reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flushes, improve sleep, reduce palpitations, stabilise mood, improve vaginal dryness, support libido and manage headaches.” It’s a long list that even includes ovarian function and hypothalamic regulation (maintaining the body’s internal balance by coordinating the nervous system and hormone system).
But what about those sneaky mental health symptoms like anxiety and low mood? “Acupuncture can help create calm in hormonal chaos by modulating the HPA axis,” says Victoria. “By this, I mean the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, otherwise known as the body’s primary stress response system. Acupuncture also reduces the stress of hormonal fluctuations by influencing the balance between the sympathetic [flight or flight] and parasympathetic [rest and digest] nervous systems.”
This explanation certainly fits with how I feel after a session. Although I don’t get quite the same blissed-out feeling that I got at the retreat, my woes don’t seem quite as weighty when I leave Victoria’s treatment room. In fact, rather than worrying about getting straight back to my desk, I treat myself to a cuppa afterwards, perhaps even a brief nap. I often wonder if, in addition to keeping menopause symptoms under control, the acupuncture has also helped me see my priorities more clearly.
For me, the effects wane over time, hence becoming a regular visitor. But everyone reacts differently. “Some women,” says Victoria, “notice an improvement in symptoms quite quickly; often within a couple of weeks. Others will take longer. As the effect is cumulative, we ideally start with weekly sessions for at least four to six weeks. We then generally go to every other week, until the effects can be maintained by monthly sessions, or even one every six weeks.”
At £75 a session, acupuncture can feel like a luxury. But, as an ancient medicine that has proved its worth for over 2,000 years, it’s clear this is not another new-fangled example of ‘menowashing’. And I, for one, definitely think it’s worth the money.
Victoria Busk can be contacted on: acupunctureuponthames.com / 07957 985 622 / acupuncture.vb@gmail.com / @victoriabusk_acupuncture
