Hormonal Transitions

ByStef Cordes & Lisa Baird
9 recliners in a semi-circle, each with a patient resting under red blankets. Practioner seated on a small black stool giving a treatment to one patient.
photo by Vanessa Tignanelli

Hormonal transitions are a natural part of life and something almost everyone goes through. Puberty is an example—that often awkward stage in life when our bodies transform and our emotions run haywire. Or menopause, a time when many experience anxiety and depression, sleep disturbances, hot flashes and night sweats (we’ve written about acupuncture treatment for all that here). Or the lesser known andropause, which is the result of decreasing testosterone and can lead to symptoms such as lowered sex drive, low energy, depression and mood swings.

The good news is that acupuncture can help. We have a lot of experience successfully treating sleep disturbance, hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, depression, mood imbalances and low energy regardless of the cause.

There are other reasons why someone may go through dramatic hormonal transitions, pregnancy being one of them. Hormonal changes in pregnancy can bring about morning sickness and nausea, sore chest, moodiness, gas, constipation and heartburn. We treat a lot of pregnant folks for these complaints, which we’ve written about here.

People may take hormonal drugs for a variety of reasons such as fertility treatment, hormone replacement therapy, or gender reassignment therapy. These drugs can cause a variety of uncomfortable symptoms that in many ways are similar to those experienced in adolescence or menopause: moodiness, hot flashes, disturbed sleep, low energy.

These changes, whether part of a biological process and/or brought about by hormonal drugs, can be frustrating and make us feel isolated from friends and family who may not understand what we’re going through. Acupuncture is really great at helping your body adjust and finding a new balance that is more comfortable for you, and at GCA we offer acupuncture in groups, so you can get relief for your symptoms while healing alongside other folks whose presence remind you that you are not alone. We know it’s not “just in your head” and recognize that you are the expert when it comes to your condition and experience. People often come for a course of acupuncture treatment during all kinds of intense life transitions. Big changes (even good changes!) can be stressful and a lot of people find community acupuncture to be relaxing, grounding, and makes them better able to cope.

If you have questions about how community acupuncture can help you through a hormonal transition, please get in touch.

9 recliners in a semi-circle, each with a patient resting under red blankets. Practioner seated on a small black stool giving a treatment to one patient.
photo by Vanessa Tignanelli

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