That Too

Menopause is an inevitable, natural process. During menopause and perimenopause, hormone levels fluctuate, which causes a variety of symptoms. ⁣⁣
Everyone has a different experience during menopause, but certain symptoms are extremely common.⁣⁣
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✨First thing’s first: Hormones - the basics ✨⁣⁣
Estrogen and progesterone are the two best known s*x hormones involved in the menstrual cycle. In very simplistic terms: Estrogen stimulates tissue growth, and progesterone signals the body to slough it off. ⁣⁣
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🤷‍♀️What happens during menopause?⁣⁣
Estrogen levels generally decline, but they do so in an irregular fashion.⁣⁣
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👩‍⚕️ Estrogen, the western medicine perspective ⁣⁣
Stimulates growth of breast tissue⁣⁣
Maintains vaginal blood flow and lubrication. Causes lining of the uterus to thicken during the menstrual cycle⁣⁣
Keeps vaginal lining elastic⁣⁣
And some more.⁣⁣
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🌿 And from a Traditional Chinese medicine?⁣⁣
Same perspective, different wording: In Traditional Chinese Medicine, estrogen is considered a yin hormone. The word ‘yin’ is associated with form, substance, growth and blood. In basic terms, yin is the water that opposes the fire of yang. ⁣⁣
Since estrogen is a yin hormone – and acts in nourishing and cooling ways – a deficiency of yin (a decreased estrogen levels), produces hot and dry symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and bone thinning.⁣ ⁣
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🤔 Different symptoms, yet the same treatment?!⁣
No two women experience menopause in the same way - One may complain about frequent hot flashes but also have sweating, palpitations and dizziness; another may complain only about mild hot flashes, but experience more severe emotional distress or fatigue. And so - they need different formulas - both will generally preserve yin while each relief the personal symptoms.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

🤷‍♀️What is PMS?⁣⁣
PMS stands for premenstrual syndrome and refers to a group of symptoms that usually start about a week before your period, typically after ovulation and before menstruation. Some of the common symptoms are: Bloating, cramping, tender breasts, headache, food cravings, mood swings, and increased acne. ⁣⁣
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☝️How common is it?⁣⁣
8 in 10 women experience at least some PMS symptoms at some point in their lives, according to research. 1 in 10 women experience a severe type of PMS called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).⁣⁣
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🤔What causes PMS?⁣⁣
No one knows exactly, but some experts think it occurs because the levels of estrogen and progesterone fall so dramatically between ovulation and menstruation. The symptoms usually go away a few days after bleeding starts when hormone levels begin to rise again.⁣⁣
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👩‍⚕️What can ease the symptoms other than medications?⁣⁣
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle throughout the month helps many women reduce their symptoms. Try:⁣⁣
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🚴🏽‍♀️Cardio workout that can help ease symptoms including depression and fatigue according to research.⁣⁣
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Reduce the amount of 🧁 sugar, 🧂 salt, ☕️ caffeine, 🥛 dairy, and 🍷 alcohol you consume. This may help make a big difference in some symptoms like bloating.⁣⁣
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Get enough 💤 sleep that may help decrease symptoms like fatigue and moodiness. Adults typically need about seven to nine hours of shut-eye each night to feel rested and recharged.⁣⁣
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🚭 Don’t smoke. There are a million reasons not to smoke, but if you have PMS, consider this a million and one: Research has found that women who smoke report more and worse PMS symptoms than women who don’t.⁣⁣
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🧘🏼‍♀️Manage your stress. Studies have shown a clear link between feelings of stress and more pronounced PMS. Explore yoga, meditation and massage which have been shown to help ease premenstrual issues.⁣⁣
Traditional Chinese Medicine is frequently used to treat PMS. ⁣⁣
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✨Check out our next post to learn more✨⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣

🙌 What is unique about TCM treatments is that variations in each woman's condition are acknowledged. ⁣
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Physicians diagnose conditions according to a complex set of signs and symptoms exhibited by each individual and formulate individualized remedies to rebalance the body. Instead of giving a particular drug for one or two intractable problems, drugs are tailor-made for specific conditions and exert multiple effects, eg. fighting pathogens, regulating the organs or promoting the balance between organs so as to increase the body's overall defense ability.⁣
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☝️It’s all about the holistic approach⁣
TCM treatments, therefore, address problems in a holistic manner and are able to reach the root of the problem. Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) has been shown to be successfully treated using acupuncture and Chinese herbs in numerous double-blind controlled studies. ⁣
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🎋 In short, TCM believes that the syndrome is due to a periodic flush of abundant blood in the Conception and Thoroughfare Vessels (the Extra Meridians) that lead to a temporary disturbance of the blood inside the body. This then gives rise to organ dysfunction and yin yang disharmony.⁣⁣⁣⁣