The Chinese call the menopause “the Second Spring” and see this natural process that every women goes through as a positive time of renewal and rebirth.

Not every woman has a smooth sailing through this period.  This is understandable because it is a time of great transition.  The body is going through some major changes and women are likely to experience physical and emotional imbalances.  The first signals that the menopause is beginning often appear between the ages of 45 – 55.  Symptoms include irregular menstruation, the dreaded hot flushes, palpitations, insomnia, irritability and depression.

Here are some great links:

• Website with good explanation of menopause from Chinese point of view – and don’t forget the “male menopause” https://mysecondspring.ie/menopause/what-is-the-menopause
• The wonderful Suzanne Yates – Shiatsu practitioner – her wellmother website.  Explains the menopause from the Shiatsu point of view (Shiatsu is a Japanese therapy with its roots in Chinese medicine) https://www.wellmother.org/menopause-and-the-extraordinary-vessels-reflections-on-the-menopause-gap-and-the-wellmother-residential/

• Can acupuncture help menopause symptoms? March 9^th 2019.  A small Danish study published in BMJ confirms that acupuncture “may be worth considering”.  However, I’m not happy that the researchers can’t rule out that the results might be “down to the placebo effect”.  What nonsense! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-47279032