One treatment every two weeks.
At a glance
Hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and mood swings from perimenopause stopped after a course of treatment at the clinic.
Presentation
A 49-year-old patient came to the clinic with skipped periods, insomnia, hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings.
Diagnosis
TCM views menopause mainly as a natural decline in Kidney Yin and Kidney Essence (Jing), which leads to a relative excess of Yang and “Yin deficiency heat”. In TCM, “Kidney” doesn’t refer to the kidney organs; Kidney Yin acts as the body’s basic reservoir of cooling, moistening and nourishing energy, and Yin is the calming, stabilizing “brake pedal” against Yang’s active energy.
As menopause progresses, Kidney Essence and Yin decline faster than Yang. When the cooling reserve drops, Yang becomes relatively overactive, creating heat from a lack of moisture rather than from infection or inflammation. This imbalance often shows up as hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, irritability, and a feeling of being wired yet exhausted.
In this patient, the hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia and mood swings were caused by Kidney Yin and Essence deficiency with Yin deficiency heat, brought on by age.
Treatment
- Ear seeds — Dr. LiChun Huang’s combination for insomnia and calming the mind
- Acupuncture — Dr. Tan’s [Jueyin, Yangming] I/IV meridian conversion, which can treat perimenopause symptoms: [LI-1 (Shangyang), LI-4 (Hegu), LR-1 (Dadun), LR-4 (Zhongfeng), PC-9 (Zhongchong), PC-6 (Neiguan), ST-45 (Lidui), ST-42 (Chongyang)]
- Herbal medicine — formulas to tonify Kidney Yin and Essence and clear Yin deficiency heat
Result
The hot flashes and night sweats stopped after two weeks. The insomnia and mood swings improved gradually and had stopped by the seventh session.
The skipped periods weren’t treated, as they are a natural part of this stage of life.
Additional notes
This reflects an individual patient experience, not clinical trial data.
Results vary from person to person depending on the condition, its severity, and how an individual responds to treatment. TCM and acupuncture are not a substitute for care from your physician or another regulated health professional. If you’re dealing with a serious or urgent symptom, please see a doctor first.