At Catalina Acupuncture, a family practice in midtown Tucson, many women have found acupuncture and Chinese medicine to help reduce their menopause symptoms. With reduced frequency and severity of hot flashes and night sweats, patients also sleep better, have improved mood and report a significant improvement in their quality of life.

“Most people think of acupuncture for pain management. While acupuncture is certainly effective for pain, Chinese medicine is a complete medical system, and is able to safely and effectively treat a wide variety of medical problems,” explains Nathan Anderson, L.Ac., the clinician at Catalina Acupuncture. A protocol that combines acupuncture with herbal medicine shows the greatest benefit. Medicinal herbs directly influence the biochemistry of the body, and work synergistically with the acupuncture to enhance the effects of treatment.

Researchers at Duke University and Wake Forest University published a study in Menopause journal in 2016 showing acupuncture to be effective for menopause symptoms. The researchers found that acupuncture has a “positive benefit on reducing hot flashes and improving sleep and other symptoms.”  The authors further noted that the “benefits are observed after just a few acupuncture treatments and appear to persist for many months after acupuncture treatments have been discontinued.”

One of the mechanisms that explains how acupuncture is effective for pain management is that it releases endorphins. This can also explain how acupuncture works for menopause symptoms. Low levels of the hormone estrogen may cause reduced levels of β-endorphins, which affect the hypothalamus, the brain structure that regulates body temperature. Numerous studies have shown acupuncture to release endorphins, and there is strong evidence that acupuncture can regulate hormone levels as well.

Anderson is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University and Emperor’s College of Traditional Oriental Medicine. He has been a professor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine for over 10 years, and is currently faculty at the Arizona School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, where he is the Chairperson for the Acupuncture Department on their Academic Council. Anderson is also the former Clinic Director/Dean of Clinical Education at several acupuncture universities in Los Angeles.

Catalina Acupuncture’s clinical specialties include: women’s health and fertility, pain management, pediatrics, respiratory disorders, digestive disorders and cardiovascular disorders.

Connect with Nathan Anderson at 520-999-0080, [email protected] or CatalinaAcupunctureTucson.com.