During menopause, several women experience irregular periods, hot flashes, mood swings, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue and many other problems that may persist for many years. These symptoms are caused by hormonal imbalance and can lead to higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, urinary tract disease and dermatological conditions.
From TCM’s perspective, the cause of these symptoms is due to kidney yin and/or yang deficiency, mostly accompanied by liver stagnation, blood stasis and phlegm accumulation. The severity of symptoms vary according to individual and is affected by her lifestyle, body constitution and past medical history.
Patients with kidney yin deficiency may suffer from symptoms like night sweats, warmer extremities, and backache. Recommended lifestyle changes include sleeping before 11pm, eating less of food that is warm and dry in nature like pepper, chilli, ginger, garlic, and more of yin-nourishing food like eggs, duck, scallop, watermelon, strawberry, white fungus, as well as herbs like lily bulb, wolfberry, ‘mai dong’ and American ginseng.
Patients with kidney yang deficiency may suffer from water retention, lethargy, episodes of chills and hot flushes, and frequent urination. Those with kidney yang deficiency should avoid eating too much food that is cool in nature, for example, crab, oyster, pear, beer and green tea. Instead, they should incorporate mutton, beef, prawn, walnut and ginger into their diet.
2 Acupressure Points you can try at home:
1. Acupoint KD3, 太溪 ‘Tai Xi’: Located at the midpoint between the prominence of the Medial Malleolus and the Calcaneal Tendon.
Press on this acupoint for 1 to 3 minutes every day to help nourish the kidney and clear heat.
2. Acupoint SP6, 三阴交 ‘San Yin Jiao’: Located 3 inches (about the length of 4 fingers) above the prominence of Medial Malleolus, just behind the Tibia.
Press on this acupoint for 1 to 3 minutes every day to nourish your spleen, invigorate the liver and kidney, regulate ‘Qi’ and blood flow and calm the nerves for better sleep; it is an acupoint that is commonly used to treat gynaecological problems.
How can PULSE help?
It is advisable to consult a physician if the menopausal symptoms are acutely troubling you.
At PULSE, we can help manage menopause by using acupuncture and Chinese medicine to alleviate these symptoms. Since menopause lasts even up to a few years, our physicians will be treating you on a weekly basis for up till 3 menstrual cycles.
Article by Physician Joyce Chee
Ovarian cyst rupture
Hi A,
Generally, TCM treatments such as acupuncture and herbal medication can help alleviate the symptoms of ovarian cyst rupture. You may try the acupressure points Tai Xi (KD3) and San Yin Jiao (SP6), as introduced in the article. Guan Yuan (CV4) and Zhong Ji (CV3) can also help alleviate the symptoms. If you wish to consult a physician for a recommended course of treatment, you can book an appointment here: https://pulsetcm.sg/book-an-appointment/.
Hope that helps!
Hi Dr
I’ve been have irregular periods.. then all of sudden for 1 month I will have hot flashes then my periods normal the next month. I’m 41. But with the hot flashes i can’t sleep. Could you please recommend me something to regulate my periods..
Hi T,
We need to find out the details regarding your menses. We would ask questions about the duration/length of your menses, colour, if there are blood clots, and other symptoms that you may have.
We would recommend that you come down for an in-person and comprehensive consultation before the physician recommends the best course of treatment for you. If you’d like to book an appointment with us, you can do so here: https://pulsetcm.sg/book-an-appointment/.
Hi Dr Chee
My daughter usually requires pain killer to manage her menstral pains. However, few days ago while she was in the shower at her campus a sudden pain came upon her (her menses just came probably less than a day). It was so bad she doubled over and had to almost crawl back to her room. She could not even manage to carry her toiletries back.
She experienced cold sweat then felt like puking and diarrhea. She experienced so much pain that she could not get out of bed the whole day. later when pain subsided she did not dare to move for fear of the pain recurring.
Please advise if this is normal?
Thanks!
Dear Mdm Khoo,
There are many underlying medical conditions for such cramps, such as endometriosis or adenomyosis, etc. However, such diagnosis could only be made by a medical doctor after medical examinations.
In TCM’s point of view, menstrual cramps and the accompanying symptoms like diarrhoea and nausea are presentations of imbalance in the body, for example, kidney deficiency, blood stasis, accumulation of cold-dampness in the body, etc. These might be due to poor lifestyle/habits such as drinking cold drinks, stress and lack of exercise.
Hence, I would encourage your daughter to seek medical attention and work on improving her lifestyle to put an end to the discomfort accompanying her menstruation.
Thank you.
Warm regards,
Physician Chee