What You Need to Know About Acupuncture Benefits for Menopause Symptoms

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While hormone therapy (HT) is enjoying a renaissance, some women can not or do not want to take that approach. For many, acupuncture is a viable alternative offering that can provide relief from symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and sleeping problems. It’s low risk, and clinical trials indicate you can achieve results relatively quickly when it’s effective. Acupuncture is another tool women can add to their menopause treatment options.

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    How does acupuncture work for menopausal women?

    Acupuncture has its roots in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The practitioners uses thin needles to penetrate specific points in the very top layer of the skin to access energy channels called meridians.
     
    During acupuncture, the practitioner works to balance yin and yang by removing anything blocking the natural flow of energy. The concept of yin and yang is the idea of everything being connected and interdependent, with harmony being the ideal state. However, because of that very connectedness and the reality that life and energy can frequently be influx, there are times when an imbalance occurs.
     
    Menopause is one of those times in life when an imbalance can occur as hormone levels fluctuate. While it’s a natural stage of life, women may experience hot flashes, sleeplessness, pain, and other common menopause symptoms.
     
    During this natural change in midlife, some women utilize acupuncture to help ease menopause symptoms and improve overall well-being.
     

    Types of acupuncture

    There are many types of acupuncture, including:
    • Hand acupuncture
    • Ear acupuncture
    • Total body acupuncture
    And there are times when ancillary techniques are used, including:
    • Electroacupuncture
    • Moxibustion
    A low-level electric current passing through pairs of needles is used during electroacupuncture.
     
    Moxibustion uses heat to enhance healing from the burning of mugwort leaves (herb).
     
    And just a heads up…..the location of the placement of the needles may not be the same as where you have identified the issue to be or are expecting. For example, you feel discomfort in your lower back, but the needles might be placed in your elbow area.
    Acupuncture body meridians

    Acupuncture for hot flashes

    Many women use acupuncture treatment to manage hot flashes.

    In a 2014 review of relevant studies in Taiwan and published in Menopause, acupuncture significantly reduced hot flash frequency and severity.

    Women between the ages of 40 and 60 received Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, acupressure, electroacupuncture, and laser and ear acupuncture.

    Women experienced relief for as long as three months.

    The relief lasted twice as long in a     clinical trial at the Schools of Medicine at Wake Forest and Duke University.

    VMS frequency decreased in six months in 36.7% of women in the Wake Forest/Duke study of more than 200 perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.

    Licensed acupuncturists tried to achieve a “de qi” sensation upon inserting the acupuncture needle. That is a sensation of soreness, numbness, heaviness, or distention near the acupuncture point.

    The women saw hot flash relief relatively quickly, with statistical differences observed after three acupuncture treatments. The maximum benefits took only eight treatments.

    Unlike the Taiwan review, quality of life also improved for the women in the Wake Forest/Duke study. They saw better sleep quality, memory, and reduced anxiety.


    Menopausal pain

    Some women experience otherwise unexplained pain during menopause, whether in their legs, joints, or other body parts.

     

    Extensive studies show the effectiveness of acupuncture for pain throughout the body, including the knee, neck, back, and head, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).


    Acupuncture for depression and insomnia

    If you’re not sleeping well during menopause, you’re ten times more likely to experience depression. And depression can make sleep worse, leading to insomnia.
     
    Although anti-depressants combined with/without hypnotics and/or hormone therapy may be more commonly used, studies also show acupuncture is an alternative approach for depression and insomnia in perimenopause.
    In a review of studies, acupuncture positively affected mood, sleep, and vasomotor symptoms and helped women with depression and insomnia.
     
    Understand if you’re at risk for depression during menopause, and if you’re not sleeping, how to improve your sleep hygiene.
    acupuncture menopause benefits

    Finding an acupuncturist 

    Acupuncture is safe when performed by a trained professional with scrupulous hygiene practices.
     
    Potential risks include bruises, pain, or bleeding at the needling site, although the risk is low, occurring in only 3% of cases.
     
    Check with your healthcare provider and the acupuncturist to make sure there are no contraindications to using acupuncture, e.g., being on a blood thinner or having a pacemaker.
     
    There are different styles of acupuncture, including TCM and classical Five-Element (Wu Xing), which is a type of TCM. The philosophy and approach taken during a patient session may differ depending on the style used. For example, in Five-Element, there is a greater focus on and more time spent in conversation and building a rapport to get a full picture of a patient’s life and circumstances before the placement of needles. In strict TCM, identification of issues relies more heavily on the evaluation of the tongue and pulses, and needle placement occurs early during a session.
     
    Both styles can be effective and achieve good clinical outcomes, and some acupuncturists may mix the two approaches. So it’s important to ask the acupuncturist which they use to determine the best fit for you at a given point in time and/or based on your personality and preferred type of interaction.
     
    Choose a licensed and board-certified acupuncturist. Search for a National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) certified practitioner.

    While acupuncturists can treat a range of health issues, consider one who specializes in women’s health or menopause if available in your area.
     
    There several options to help address the symptoms of menopause. None work in all women nor 100% of the time, nor for every symptom. Every woman’s journey is unique. If acupuncture is going to be effective for you, studies show improvements tend to be seen quickly. In the Wake Forest/Duke study, women saw results after just three treatments.
     
    Acupuncture is one modality to consider. And, of course, basic lifestyle modifications serve as a foundation while on the menopause journey and your vibrant life beyond it.
     
    Are you ready to consider acupuncture as one more non-hormonal option to help ease your menopause symptoms?
     
    What’s your experience using acupuncture?

    Chiu, Hsiao-Yean RN, PhD1; Pan, Chieh-Hsin RN, MSN1; Shyu, Yuh-Kae RN, PhD2; Han, Bor-Cheng PhD3; Tsai, Pei-Shan RN, PhD1,4. Effects of acupuncture on menopause-related symptoms and quality of life in women in natural menopause: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Menopause 22(2):p 234-244, February 2015. | DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000260

    Avis NE, Coeytaux RR, Isom S, Prevette K, Morgan T. Acupuncture in Menopause (AIM) study: a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial. Menopause. 2016 Jun;23(6):626-37. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000597. PMID: 27023860; PMCID: PMC4874921.

    Acupuncture: What You Need To Know | National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

    Understanding Acupuncture | National Institutes of Health

    Zhao FY, Fu QQ, Spencer SJ, Kennedy GA, Conduit R, Zhang WJ, Zheng Z. Acupuncture: A Promising Approach for Comorbid Depression and Insomnia in Perimenopause. Nat Sci Sleep. 2021 Oct 12;13:1823-1863. doi: 10.2147/NSS.S332474. PMID: 34675729; PMCID: PMC8520448.

    Zhao FY, Fu QQ, Spencer SJ, Kennedy GA, Conduit R, Zhang WJ, Zheng Z. Acupuncture: A Promising Approach for Comorbid Depression and Insomnia in Perimenopause. Nat Sci Sleep. 2021 Oct 12;13:1823-1863. doi: 10.2147/NSS.S332474. PMID: 34675729; PMCID: PMC8520448.

    How to Feel Happy Every Season of Life | PeopleTweaker

    NCCAOM® Find a Practitioner Directory | National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

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