Hot flashes, cold rushes, bouts of rapid heartbeat, irritability, mood swings, crashing fatigue, depression and a host of other changes ? welcome to menopause when for a while you seem to feel that life as you knew it is coming to a ?pause?.

Add to this the gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, bloating and nausea associated with GERD and you are ready to fly off the handle. Many menopausal women tend to develop acid reflux, for some it can be an uncomfortable sensation of severe burning in the throat or a feeling of being bloated.

GERD or Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a result of the backing up of the stomach of stomach contents, including acid, into the esophagus causing heartburn, regurgitation and a sour taste in the back of the throat.

Research into the reasons for the occurrence for GERD has found that the valve or sphincter that separates the lower esophagus from the stomach tends to relax sometimes, permitting the stomach acid to back up into the esophagus which causes heartburn in its mild form and if ignored can lead to inflammation of the esophagus, Barett?s esophagus and cancer.

The relaxation of the sphincter occurs randomly but certain factors can affect reflux such as a diet high in fatty foods or certain food groups and medications such as calcium-channel blockers usually prescribed to treat high blood pressure and certain painkillers such as meperidine and morphine and sedatives such as diazepam.

Hormones generally found in the body can also affect the functioning of the sphincter, leading to increased reflux. It has been found that progesterone lowers the pressure in the esophageal sphincter. In some cases estrogen replacement therapy can also aggravate GERD symptoms but nothing has been conclusively determined as yet and research is still underway.

However it has been found that acid reflux and heartburn is a pretty common scenario during perimenopause and menopause and it is best to treat GERD as you normally would irrespective of the onset of menopause.

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The treatment for migraines and other menopause symptoms is not the same in every part of the world. Different cultures have different medicine practices and beliefs. However, it is interesting to note that the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture, is becoming a popular therapeutic method in Western culture to treat a variety of psychological and physical conditions including menopause.

TCM views menopause as the time in a woman’s life when her body shuts down her natural monthly reproductive cycle because she can no longer reproduce. However, it is believed that her body stops menses to conserve her qi (body life energy), so as she ages she can retain all of her resources.

Unlike women in western culture, for most women in the East, menopause is rather uneventful. It is thought the reasons for this is because Western women lead a more fast-paced, stress-ridden lifestyle, and tend to consume poorer diets. Thus, as a result, women in Western culture tend to experience far more intense menopausal symptoms than their sisters in the East.

Despite the real causes of menopausal symptoms, the fact remains that Traditional Chinese Medicine does not consider menopause to be a syndrome. The thought is that women suffering through menopause have a variety of qi problems such as constrained liver qi and kidney yin deficiency. In other words, their qi is imbalanced and is wreaking havoc on their mind and body.

Thus, the goal of TCM is to uniquely treat each woman based on her specific symptoms. This means that different techniques aside from acupuncture may also be suggested, such as Chinese herbs, lifestyle or dietary changes and exercises - all of which are used to help restore balance to the body.

How does acupuncture work? Acupuncture is based on the belief that there are approximately 2000 acupuncture points (trigger points) throughout the body. These trigger points are linked to one another via a group of 20 different meridians (pathways). Meridians are responsible for conducting qi between the surface of the body and the internal organs. Qi has a specific affect on each point it passes through. When qi properly flows throughout the meridians and all its points, it maintains a healthy balance in the mind and body.

During an acupuncture treatment for menopause, an acupuncture therapist will help a woman bring balance back to her body by focusing treatment on the trigger points related to her symptoms. Only some trigger points are used, and will vary depending on the symptoms. Thus, every menopausal woman is treated individually based on her problem.

Acupuncture is administered through the use of tiny, solid needles that are inserted into the targeted trigger points. The purpose of the needles is to help stimulate the meridians to encourage qi production. This might mean needles could be inserted into the shoulders, arms, legs or even the feet. If inserted properly, needles shouldn’t cause pain or bleeding; however, their may be slight discomfort or a tingling or numbing sensation which fades fast. Treatment is often very relaxing, and sessions usually last for 30 minutes.

Does acupuncture benefit menopause? Yes. Research has found that most women who participated in different acupuncture studies found relief from menopausal symptoms including:
• Hot flashes
• Insomnia
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Vaginal dryness

If you are interested in using acupuncture for alternative or complimentary treatment to ease menopause symptoms, it is imperative that you visit a qualified and experienced acupuncture therapist, in order to realistically determine if this method is an effective treatment option for you.

Remember, no two women are treated the same, and acupuncture therapy is often long term, ongoing treatment.

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Many women who experience perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms are finding relief through aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is an alternative treatment, which offers menopause help and is very pleasurable to the senses. It can induce positive side effects that help us cope with both psychological and physical ailments. Studies have found that essential oils have chemical components (IE. Esters, alcohols, aldehydes, terpenes, etc) that can produce specific effects on both the body and mind.

Aromatherapy uses essential oils to stimulate the power of our sense of smell. Certain aromas affect our moods and emotions and can have a significant impact on the way we feel. Many believe that smell is detected when it enters through the fine hairs that line the nose, known as the cilia, and travels to the limbic system. The limbic system is the area of the brain that has control over our emotions, mood, memory and learning.

How can aromatherapy specifically help menopausal symptoms? Aromatherapy has been known to provide relief for a number of menopause hormone-related symptoms including mood swings, hot flashes, headaches and disruptive sleep. The following is a list of menopausal symptoms and some of the essential oils that are considered beneficial for treating each:

• Overall hormone balance: sage; roman chamomile; geranium; fennel
• Hot Flashes: peppermint
Massage oil: lemon; sage; clary sage; geranium.
• Headaches: lavender; marjoram
• Mood Swings: lavender; linden; cypress; patchouli
• Vaginal dryness and irritation: tea tree; geranium
• Insomnia: lavender; linden blossom; violet; dill; sandalwood; chamomile; oregano; neroli; mandarin; valerian
• Fatigue: lavender; violet; white thyme; Spanish sage; rose; pimento; oregano; ginger; nutmeg; pine
• Depression: bergamot; nutmeg; clove; red thyme; ylang ylang; rose; Spanish sage
• Muscle spasms: carrot seed; lavender; jasmine; cinnamon; petitgrain
• Stress: carrot; Roman chamomile; lemongrass, neroli
• Anxiety: geranium; lavender; Spanish sage; German chamomile; coriander; vetivert; ylang ylang; rosewood; oregano; geranium; marjoram; frankincense
• Osteoporosis: Bath oil: chamomile; fennel; thyme; hyssop; lemon; ginger
Massage oil for joints: nutmeg; carrot; Roman chamomile; ginger
• Loss of libido: rosewood; rose; myrtle; sandalwood; jasmine; celery; cumin

How to use aromatherapy - Aromatherapy is a safe alternative medicine. You can burn it and have its scent fill the room, bathe in it, massage it into your skin, or wear it as a perfume. You can enjoy the scents individually or combine them. Best off all; you can use it whenever you want, as often as you want.

However, make sure you follow these few rules before using aromatherapy treatment:
1. Read all instructions before using any product
2. Never apply essential oils directly to the skin unless the instructions explicitly say it is safe to do so.
3. Never ingest essential oils

Due to the fact that essential oils are powerful they can cause irritation. Therefore, the safest method is to dilute the essential oil in a bath, in an oil burner, or purchase it as massage oil.

What to consider when purchasing oils - Studies have found that the quality of the essential oils matter if they are being used for therapeutic purposes. You should only purchase oils that state “pure essential oil” on the product. Although this means you may have to pay more, it’s worth it. You can find oils and burners at a variety of online stores and in local health stores.

Personalized aromatherapy - One of the great aspects about using aromatherapy to treat menopausal symptoms is you can create your own special scented treatment. Purchase a journal and experiment with a variety of scents and aromatherapy methods to find out which ones you like the most and provide you with the best relief. Write down how you respond to each scent to determine what the best aromatherapy treatment is for you.

Finally, remember that if you are experiencing painful or chronic symptoms that are disrupting your life, seek medical attention for more menopause help.

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