What is the Chinese Medicine Practitioner’s Understanding of the Physiology of Women’s Health Problems?
Menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and lactation are unique to women. According to the principles of Chinese Medicine, a balanced Yin and Yang, Qi and blood - the vital life energy - circulating through the Chong and Ren meridians and organ systems form the elementary basis of these physiological functions.
The primary causes of women's problems are usually thought to be congenital deficiencies, excessive sex, physical exertion, incorrect diet, injuries and infections, or sudden, severe, or long-term emotional disturbances. These factors lead to an under-functioning of the organ systems, deficiencies and/or irregular movements of Qi and blood, imbalance or deficiency of Yin and Yang, all of which can disturb the Chong and Ren meridians and give further rise to gynaecological disorders.
In this way clinical strategies are based upon diagnoses of patterns of signs and symptoms that are caused by an imbalance, deficiency or stagnation, rather than by diseases.
1. Why do so many women view menopause as a curse?
They see menopause as a curse because it’s at this phase of their lives that if anything can go wrong it often does. Our hormones keep us young and trim, they support our immunity, bone health, sugar control, moods, libido, brain and skin and much more. Oestrogen alone has over 300 functions in our body.
The human body is composed of more than 100 trillion cells. Hormones are the chemical messengers that assist in keeping everything in the body integrated and coordinated in every aspect of human activity. Two commonly known hormones are insulin and adrenaline.
The state of our health is directly related to the state of our hormones. There are typical ages at which hormones begin to decline. These ages may vary as much as 5 or 6 years, but are generally at the following ages.
Did you know that according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), of the World Health Institute (WHI) 10-20-10 Estrogen plus progestin was associated with greater breast cancer incidence and mortality, and the cancers were more commonly node-positive.
It is interesting to note that there was a decline in breast cancer incidence in the Flemish region of Belgium after a decrease in hormonal replacement in the area [1]
So what is it the women really want? Is it really youth, vitality, forever young and beautiful? It turns out that after research the three things that women really want is to take care of their minds, their hearts and their bones.
It is estimated that over 40% of Americans suffer from a dysfunctioning thyroid and that in South Africa, the most common complaint of patients is hypothyroidism.[1]
What is hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not product enough of the thyroid hormone. Symptoms can include being more sensitive to cold (even in summer), constipation, depression, fatigue or feeling slowed down, heavier menstrual periods, joint or muscle pain, dry skin, thin or brittle nails and hair and unintentional weight gain.